Gold Coast worker underpaid nearly $18,000

A retail worker on the Gold Coast has been awarded almost $18,000 after being paid only half her required wage for nearly a year.

The 22-year-old woman was given just $12 an hour when her minimum rate was $23.74, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman has forced the business to back-pay almost $18,000 after they initially offered her a $1 per hour increase when first told about the underpayment.