Australian Government support for J Smith & Sons employees in Gympie
4th December, 2013
Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss, today encouraged workers affected by the collapse of Gympie’s J Smith & Sons, to seek support from the Australian Government for unpaid wages and entitlements.“Approaching Christmas, the collapse of J Smith & Sons has hit the community at a very difficult time,” Mr Truss said.
“I want to assure the 67 employees who have been directly affected by the closure that the Australian Government is able to extend assistance to them through the Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme,” Mr Truss said.
“The Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme was established by the former Howard Government and provides assistance to workers who are owed outstanding employee entitlements following the insolvency or bankruptcy of employers.
“Depending on individual circumstances, assistance may be available for up to 13 weeks of unpaid wages, annual leave, long service leave and a limited amount of redundancy pay.
“Workers from J Smith and Sons who need support or assistance should contact the Fair Entitlements Guarantee hotline on 1300 135 040 for advice.” Mr Truss said.
