The owners of two convenience stores in Australia were fined in April for underpaying foreign students employed in Melbourne and Geelong. The owners of two convenience stores in Australia were fined in April for underpaying foreign students employed in Melbourne and Geelong. The couple, Hao Chen and Xue Jing, employed recently arrived students from India and Zimbabwe and paid them up to half the salary rate to which they were entitled.
Minister for Tertiary Education, Chris Evans, praised the court decision as a victory for international students. “This result sends a strong message to unscrupulous employers that exploitation will not be tolerated,” he said.
More importantly, the employers were also ordered by the courts to pay almost AUS$90,000 (US$98,725) in back pay to the six students. All students can work up to 20 hours per week in Australia, unlike in the UK, which now forbids students at private institutions from studying at all.
The owners of two convenience stores in Australia were fined in April for underpaying foreign students employed in Melbourne and Geelong. The couple, Hao Chen and Xue Jing, employed recently arrived students from India and Zimbabwe and paid them up to half the salary rate to which they were entitled.
Minister for Tertiary Education, Chris Evans, praised the court decision as a victory for international students. “This result sends a strong message to unscrupulous employers that exploitation will not be tolerated,” he said.
More importantly, the employers were also ordered by the courts to pay almost AUS$90,000 (US$98,725) in back pay to the six students. All students can work up to 20 hours per week in Australia, unlike in the UK, which now forbids students at private institutions from studying at all.
