Court hears oil rig workers paid $3 an hour - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Court hears oil rig workers paid $3 an hour - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): The Federal Court has heard allegations that foreign workers were paid less than $3 an hour to work on oil rigs operated by Woodside Petroleum off Western Australia.

The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges Hong Kong-based company Pocomwell Limited hired the four Filipino men, who were made available to the rigs by a WA oil and gas consultant.

The Perth court today heard the four men worked as painters on Woodside rigs on the North West Shelf off northern WA from July 2009 until early 2011.

The ombudsman's barrister Paul Menzies QC told the court the men were paid just $US32 a day for working 12 hour days, seven days a week.

The ombudsman alleges the workers were underpaid by two foreign companies and one local firm, to the tune of $80,000.