The federal government has said visas of the 7-Eleven workers who breached their work conditions in Australia while being exploited will not be cancelled.
The convenience store allegedly exploited its staff by underpaying them and making them work beyond their allotted number of hours.
The Department of Immigration, in a letter to lawyers Maurice Blackburn and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, said the department was prepared to provide assurances to the exploited workers that their visas would not be cancelled if they came forward to assist in investigations of exploitation and underpayment.
SBS Punjabi has accessed the letter by Michael Manthorpe, Deputy Secretary, Deaprtment of Immigration and Border Protection.
"The Department would not cancel visas for breach of work conditions where the Panel advises the Department that they have determined the worker has a claim underpayment and has cooperated with their investigations; there is no other basis for visa cancellation; and the visa holder provides a commitment to comply with visa conditions in the fututre"
-Michael Manthrope, Deputy Secretary, Visa & Citizenship Service group
Mr. Giri Sivaraman, Principal at Maurice Blackburn told SBS Punjabi radio that this assurance from the government would encourage many more people to come forward with their complaints, who were exploited by 7 Eleven.
He said, there was only one condition, that the claim has to be accepted by the panel.
He said the law firm had received many phone calls and emails from such workers, however, they feared they could lose their visas if they admitted to having worked beyond the specified number of hours in their visa condition.
"Workers were looking for such a safeguard earlier, but we could not give them that assurance then. But now, I think this will help many more people to come out," said Mr. Sivaraman.
So far, nealry three hundred people have filed their complaints with Maurice Blackburn. The law firm has submitted claims amounting to $1.2 million to the panel to decide the compensation.
Mr. Sivaraman said it was a big amount. He said the process of submitting the claims of those who have filed their complaints is going on, and it was a slow process as it was being done very carefully.
But, Mr. Sivaraman said the head office of 7 Eveven had yet to pay money to those workers whose cases have been upheld by the panel for monetary compensation.
"We don't want to go to the court for as long as it can be avoided. However, if 7Eleven doesn't pay the awarded compensation, then there would be only one choice- to go to the court".
Mr. Sivaraman said the workers who have so far come out to complain against 7Eleven were a very small part of the real number of workers who were exploited. He hoped this assurance by the immigration department would encourage more workers to file their claims.
