Underpaid Casuals at Australia’s Taronga Zoo Get $2.6M in Back Pay

A supplied undated image obtained Feb. 11, 2022 shows ‘Weja’, the young Echidna. ‘Weja’ was rescued and brought to Taronga Wildlife Hospital in October 2021. (AAP Image/Supplied by Taronga Conservation Society Australia)

Workers from Taronga and Western Plains zoos will receive millions in back pay after the non-profit operator admitted to underpaying casual staff.

The NSW zoo organisation on June 9 said it was acting to address underpayments worth about $2.6 million (US$1.7 million), including interest and superannuation.

It found it was underpaying casual maintenance staff after undertaking a “proactive review” of its interpretation of the relevant award and how it was applied through a new payroll system, introduced in February 2021.

Taronga chief executive Cameron Kerr said he was deeply sorry to workers who had been underpaid.

“I offer my sincere apologies to those current and former staff who have been impacted,” Kerr said.

Casual staff held a snap strike at Taronga’s Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo last year, complaining the new payroll system underpaid them and took away their leave entitlements.

Underpayments, late payments and issues with leave and allowances had persisted for 18 months before Taronga took action, the Australian Workers Union (AWU) said.

“It was only after AWU members held a stop-work meeting at Dubbo that they agreed to meet (with) us,” NSW state secretary Tony Callinan said.

“It’s a bit rich for Taronga to come out today and claim to be self-reporting an underpayment when the payroll audit would have never happened if not for AWU members taking action.”

Taronga had incorrectly concluded casual workers were not entitled to a 15 percent loading on weekdays.

Back payments will be made in July and will include interest of six percent, and superannuation paid at 11 percent.

The zoo will also correct its payroll system from July 13.

Managing the introduction of the new payroll system and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant Taronga had not identified the underpayments earlier, Kerr said.

“We take this matter very seriously and we are in the process of notifying all those who have been affected,” Kerr said.

The zoo said independent auditors have been engaged to thoroughly review the extent of underpayments and management were committed to remedying the issue quickly.