Uniting Communities conducted a comprehensive review of remuneration across our workforce to ensure staff are properly paid for their work. 

We instigated this review in February after becoming aware of an issue with payment for some managers and have worked intensively over recent weeks with legal and accounting advisers to understand and resolve the issue. 

Unfortunately through this review, we have found some inconsistencies in the way some other staff have been paid over a number of years. 

We have sincerely apologised to staff. Uniting Communities’ staff are at the centre of our organisation delivering our key services to South Australians and we value their hard work and commitment. Ensuring they are paid appropriately is an absolute priority. 

This week we advised affected staff and will shortly begin paying backpay owed with superannuation and interest. We have engaged an expert accounting firm to review wage payments and confirm the amounts of backpay owed to affected staff. 

We estimate that less than $2 million is owed to about 400 current and 550 former staff.

Uniting Communities financial position enables us to meet these backpayment obligations with no impact on our services, contracts or financial sustainability of the organisation.  Our focus is on getting backpayments to staff as a priority with more than half of the outstanding payments being paid by the end of the month. 

The inconsistencies in wage payments occurred as a result of the complexity and diversity of enterprise agreements and related awards that apply to staff and deficiencies in our approach to managing this complexity and checking for errors at times when annual rate increases were reviewed. 

Staff across the organisation work in a wide range of roles under multiple agreements covered by separate awards.

We have corrected pay rates for affected staff and now have in place further checks and balances including protections in the payroll system. 

We have self-reported to the Fair Work Ombudsman and will fully co-operate with the Ombudsman in any review.