Worker gets square from beyond grave

A BRISBANE woman has reached from beyond the grave to get square with a greedy boss who owed her $19,000 in unpaid wages. Picture: Chris Hyde Source: The Daily Telegraph

A BRISBANE woman has reached from beyond the grave to get square with a greedy boss who owed her $19,000 in unpaid wages.

It has been three years since her death, but Gail Keen's estate finally won what the former secretary was owed.

And in a further belated win for Ms Keen, who laid the foundation for the prosecution, her former employer and the company's sole director have been fined more than $53,000.

Ms Keen, who performed telemarketing and administrative duties for New Image Photographics Pty Ltd at Woolloongabba, pursued her boss for repayment after realising she had been short-changed.

But after lodging a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman, Ms Keen, aged in her 60s, died in 2010.

Ms Keen's husband requested the Ombudsman pursue the matter when the company refused to hand over what was owed.

The Ombudsman argued the company and its sole director, Bryan Bedington, failed to pay Ms Keen casual loading between 2006-2009 and failed to pay her the minimum wage between 2008-2008.

In a judgment delivered in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday, Judge Michael Jarrett was scathing of the company and Mr Bedington. "I accept the applicant's (Ombudsman's) submission that the contravention in this matter represent a failure to provide basic and important entitlements under workplace relations legislation," Judge Jarrett said.

"The purpose of the legislation is to provide a safety net which ensures adequate minimum entitlements to employees, particularly those who are in low-income roles.

"I accept that the total underpayment of $19,314.50 is significant given that the contravention only concerned one employee.

"Ms Keen (and subsequently her estate) was deprived of the financial benefits which timely payment of the correct wages and entitlements would have provided.

"A clear message needs to be sent to employers generally that underpayment of wages and entitlements is unacceptable."

He fined the company $42,900 and fined Mr Bedington $10,560.

Ms Keen's husband refused to comment yesterday but acting Ombudsman Michael Campbell said the case illustrated the lengths staff would go to for underpaid workers.

"We will not tolerate employers significantly underpaying employees' wages and then failing to promptly rectify the matter once it is brought to their attention," Mr Campbell said.

View the original article here

Grave plots more expensive than housing

Brisbane's cemetery plots and local real estate prices have shown that in many cases you could be living in a spacious family home for less (per square metre) than the cost of a plot six-feet under / File

THE cost of dying is greater than the cost of living when it comes to Brisbane real estate.

A grave for the dead is more expensive than a house for the living in some city cemeteries when it comes to cost per size.

Brisbane's cemetery plots and local real estate prices have shown that in many cases you could be living in a spacious family home for less (per square metre) than the cost of a plot six-feet under in a local cemetery.

A 2.88sq m plot at the Hemmant cemetery can be yours for $3140 while your neighbours enjoy a four-bedroom, airconditioned modern brick home on a residential block up the road for less.

That said, they will need to tend to their own gardens, as the cost of your plot includes the digging of the grave and the maintenance of cemetery infrastructure.

The plots available at the Hemmant, Mt Gravatt and Pinnaroo cemeteries are 1.2m by 2.4m costing $1090 per square metre.

If you are willing to shell out the same amount per square metre, you could live out your days in a refurbished Queenslander a short walk from the water in the Brisbane bayside suburb of Sandgate.

Meanwhile, in the leafy northside suburb of Bridgeman Downs, home to the Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery and Crematorium, you can snap up a modern four-bedroom, three-bathroom house for $859 per square metre.

On the other side of town at Mt Gravatt, a renovated timber house complete with polished floors and gourmet kitchen can be all yours for $857sq m, $233 less than your patch of dirt in the nearby Mt Gravatt cemetery.

But if you would prefer to join your ancestors at one of Brisbane City Council's historic cemeteries, don't expect to pay old prices.

Just like antique furniture, you will pay a premium for the vintage label.

A plot at one of these cemeteries will set you back $5230.

Regardless of the cost, Queensland Funeral Directors Association secretary Wayne Bell said there would always be a place for burials.

"Because of religious reasons and people's preferences, we will always need to provide the option to people," he said.

And according to a Brisbane City Council spokesperson, Brisbane's council cemeteries are ready.

"Council estimates it has enough land in reserve to supply new graves for the next 10 to 20 years," the spokesperson said.

But don't expect your family will be able to purchase your plot in 20 years for the same price.

A council spokeswoman said cemetery fees increases each year in line with CPI and general cost increases.

While Mr Bell doesn't think the cost of a burial is the deciding factor in a family's decision, many do ask about alternatives.

"Like buying a car, people look at the market to see what's available," he said.

"Families consider their options before they decide".

If you've worked hard in this life hoping to rest eternally under a shady tree, think again. Regardless of your financial fate, plots at these cemeteries are issued on a systematic basis.

"Cemeteries are divided into portions and are issued on a grave by grave basis," a council spokeswoman said.
 

View the original article here