EMPLOYERS paying workers under the wrong award, underpayment of penalty rates and failure to keep proper employment records will be among the local Gippsland issues workplace inspectors will aim to address through a series of visits to businesses during Workplace Rights Week.

Throughout the week, from April 20 to 24, inspectors from the Federal Workplace Ombudsman's Traralgon office will visit up to 80 businesses in various industries in Gippsland including Sale.

Inspectors will check businesses are complying with their record-keeping, pay and other obligations under workplace laws and educating and assisting those found to have problems.

Workplace Ombudsman executive-director of field operations Bill Loizides said issues in the Gippsland region identified by Traralgon-based inspectors include underpayment of meal breaks, overtime and other penalty rates, businesses underpaying workers as a result of not applying the correct award, and employers not keeping proper time-and-wages and other employment records.

Recent recoveries of money for workers in the Gippsland region include:

$93,000 for 23 transport industry workers in the western Gippsland area who were underpaid wages, shift allowances and penalty rates, and

$31,000 for 37 workers at several businesses owned by one South Gippsland employer. The employer did not realise different awards applied to workers across the different businesses, resulting in underpayment of wages and penalty rates.

Inspectors have also found many Gippsland businesses in the past six months who have mistakenly believed if the employee indicates they don't want a payslip, they don't have to issue them one.

Mr Loizides said the aim of Workplace Rights Week is to educate workers and employers about their workplace rights and obligations and to increase awareness of how the Workplace Ombudsman can assist them.

The Workplace Ombudsman has 330 inspectors throughout the country and has recovered more than $21 million for 17,000 workers so far this financial year.

Mr Loizides said a key part of the agency's role is educating and assisting employers, through measures such as providing free templates for time-and-wages records and pay-slips on its website.

To contact the Workplace Ombudsman call 1300 724 200 or visit www.wo.gov.au.