iscover
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has taken legal action against a cleaning operator over alleged underpayments.
Scott John Redmond, who formerly owned and operated a company trading as Cleaning Excellence, is at the centre of allegations of underpayments and false pay slips – with the FWO taking legal action through the Federal Circuit and Family Court.
The FWO has alleged that the NSW cleaning operator underpaid 12 workers a total of more than $22,000 while also falsifying pay slips – landing him in court for the second time after the FWO secured $17,190 in penalties against him back in 2019.
The regulator originally began investigating Redmond again after receiving requests for assistance from workers.
It’s alleged by the regulator that Redmond was involved in failing to pay some workers any wages at all for up to three weeks of work they performed. At the same time, he was also allegedly underpaying workers minimum wage rates, casual loading, night-shift penalty rates and a vehicle allowance.
Annual leave and public holiday were also allegedly underpaid. Overall, the FWO alleged that Redmond also breached the Fair Work Act by providing false or misleading pay slips to workers primarily to comply with inspectors – with the FWO claiming that some of these actions constitute as serious contraventions, opening Redmond up to potential maximum penalties.
“We are committed to using all our powers to ensure that employers who allegedly deliberately or systematically breach the law face significant consequences,” said Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth.
“It is disappointing that the alleged conduct means we now need to take Mr Redmond to court a second time, but workers’ rights must be respected and will be enforced.
“Employers should also be aware that taking action to protect vulnerable young workers is an enduring priority for the FWO.
“Any employees with concerns about their pay or entitlements should contact us for free advice and assistance.”
As it stands, for the alleged serious contraventions, Redmond faces penalties of up to $133,200 per breach, according to the FWO. For the other alleged contraventions, he faces penalties of up to $13,320 per breach.
On top of that, the FWO is seeking that Redmond rectify underpayments by compensating staff who were victims of the alleged contraventions.
The directions hearing is listed in the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Sydney on 15 August 2025.
Kace O'Neill
Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.
