News: SUL UPDATE 1-Australia's Super Retail Group faces legal action over worker pay

(Adds statements from FWO, background)

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Australian retailer Super Retail Group (SUL) said on Friday the country's industrial relations watchdog had filed proceedings against it related to staff underpayment.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) alleged that the company underpaid individual employees by as much as A$34,500 between January 2017 and March 2019, with aggregate underpayments amounting to about A$1.14 million ($787,512.00).

Super Retail said it self-reported the matter to the FWO in 2018, and has since paid back more than A$52.7 million ($36.42 million) in entitlements and interest, under a backpayment program.

The watchdog has also sued retail giants Coles (COL) and Woolworths (WOW) , as well as lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) , in the past over similar worker underpayment issues.

"The breaches alleged in this case – inadequate annual salaries for employees stretching across multiple years – have become a persistent issue for businesses across many industries," said Sandra Parker, head of the FWO.

According to the FWO, Super Retail faces maximum penalties of A$630,000 for the alleged "serious contraventions", and A$63,000 per breach for other contraventions. ($1 = 1.4476 Australian dollars)