TASMANIAN workers were underpaid by almost $1.2 million last financial year. The Workplace Ombudsman has recovered $1.159 million for underpaid workers in 2007-08 - an increase of 308 per cent from 2006-07, according to ombudsman director of media and stakeholder relations Craig Bildstien. According to Mr Bildstien, claims to the Tasmanian office for 2007-08 were up 28 per cent on the previous year and the Tasmanian office has about 126 active investigations. On Friday last week, Latrobe service station operator TKM Investments was fined $241,000 in the Federal Magistrates Court in Melbourne for underpaying six employees $41,618.76 over an 18-month period between 2006 and 2007. "So far this financial year the Tasmanian office has recovered $847,000 for approximately 370 underpaid Tasmanian workers," Mr Bildstien said. "From July '07, there have been 10 litigations of Tasmanian employers with penalties of about $623,000, inclusive of (the $241,560 fine of) TKM." Tasmanian calls to the Workplace Ombudsman helpline rose from 1394 between July 2007 and March 2008 to 1790 between July 2008 and March 2009. Tasmanian Automobile Chamber of Commerce general manager Malcolm Little said that there was no reason for anyone to be underpaying their employees. Mr Little said that there was plenty of advice available for businesses that wanted to do the right thing. "It is my understanding that the service station in question was not a TACC member," he said. "TACC membership is available to any business in the automobile industry who wants it. "The reality is that all members of the service station industry and automobile industry ... are required to pay their employees in line with various awards or, in the past, workplace agreements. "There is plenty of advice out there helping businesses to comply with the law, available from the TACC and government departments." Workers who think they are not receiving proper entitlements and employers who want to clarify that they are meeting their lawful responsibilities are encouraged to phone the national Workplace Ombudsman helpline on 1300724200.