The Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced legal action in relation to a fifth United Petroleum outlet, alleging a former operator of a store in western Melbourne provided false or misleading pay slips and underpaid a migrant worker.
Facing court is Bharathi Karnati, a sole trader and the former commission agent of a United Petroleum outlet on Leakes Road in Truganina.
Also facing court is the former manager of the outlet, Ravikanth Baddam.
The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that Ms Karnati knowingly provided a Fair Work Inspector with false or misleading pay slips overstating the rates she had paid an Indian international student employed as a casual console operator.
It is alleged the worker was in fact paid unlawfully low flat rates of no more than $14 per hour, despite being owed at least $28.38 per hour.
It is alleged the rates were below the minimum wage rate owed under the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award 2020, and resulted in Ms Karnati underpaying the worker a total of $2,337 during his employment from December 2020 to January 2021.
The alleged underpayment has been rectified.
Further pay slip and record-keeping breaches are also alleged, including that Ms Karnati failed to keep proper time-and-wages records.
It is alleged that Mr Baddam was involved in these further pay slip and record-keeping contraventions.
Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said the nature of the alleged contraventions meant that litigation was the appropriate response.
"Allegedly knowingly providing falsified pay slips to Fair Work Inspectors is completely unacceptable and has the potential to undermine the integrity of the workplace relations system," Ms Booth said.
"Our experienced inspectors will detect any allegedly false pay slips and hold employers to account.
"Providing accurate pay slips is a crucial employer obligation that supports employees to understand if they are being paid correctly.
"Employers should also be aware that taking action to protect migrant workers is a priority for the Fair Work Ombudsman.
"We applaud the worker in this case for assisting the Fair Work Ombudsman's investigation. Migrant workers have the same workplace rights in Australia as any other worker, regardless of their visa status, and anybody with concerns about their entitlements should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free assistance."
The FWO is seeking penalties in court. Ms Karnati faces penalties of up to $13,320 per contravention for multiple alleged breaches of workplace laws.
Mr Baddam also faces penalties of up to $13,320 per contravention for his alleged involvement in the relevant pay slip and record-keeping breaches.
A directions hearing is listed in the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Melbourne on 21 July 2025.
The proceedings are the latest legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman against former operators of United Petroleum-branded outlets, which follow a FWO investigation into the United Petroleum network commenced in response to concerns about non-compliance.
The investigation involved audits of 20 United Petroleum-branded outlets across Tasmania, Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Two of the legal actions were finalised in court in February this year, with the Fair Work Ombudsman securing $179,221 in penalties in relation to underpayments of workers at two United Petroleum-branded outlets in Tasmania.
The other two court cases are ongoing, with the FWO having filed litigations against Sai Enterprises Pty Ltd and Raman Monga, in relation to an SA outlet, and Navaneeth Gogikar in relation to a Queensland outlet.
One of the FWO's investigations is ongoing.
The Fair Work Ombudsman filed 146 litigations against employers involving visa holder workers, and secured nearly $23 million in penalties in cases that have included visa holder workers, in the seven financial years to June 2024.
