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Women forced to work in bikinis, employees made to clean their boss' house for free, and threats of violence toward anyone who dares go to the police - the exploitation of workers has continued through Covid lockdowns even in the absence of vulnerable foreign staff.
A South Australian parliamentary inquiry into wage theft has exposed dishonest and systemic underpayment of wages and the shocking treatment of some workers during the pandemic.
In its report issued on Wednesday, the committee said its three-year inquiry uncovered slavery-like practices in many workplaces.
Casual labourers like waiting staff were among the most exploited workers, with many asked to sacrifice salary and work unpaid hours.
In some cases passports were taken with workers forced to pay as much as $3000 for their return, while others were confined to a location, labouring for extremely long hours on incorrect awards.
'Wage theft was found to be pervasive across South Australia among vulnerable cohorts of workers, especially those
