7-Eleven faces $100 million unpaid wages bill in what would be biggest in Australian history

Convenience giant 7-Eleven faces having to fork out up to $100 million in unpaid wages to more than 2000 past and present employees in Australia.

Already $10 million in backpay has been awarded to 300 workers, the equivalent of an average payout of $38,000, as the scandal looks likely to grow to be the biggest case of wage fraud in Australian corporate history, the Fairfax Media reports.

Professor Allan Fels, who heads the compensation panel, told Fairfax Media there were 2000 claims being processed and new ones "still coming in".

He would not comment on an estimated final payout figure, but calculations suggest it could be between $60 million and $100 million.

A 7-Eleven spokesman said: "Speculating on the quantum of claims is unhelpful, is nothing more than unfounded guesswork and adds nothing to the process of remediation. 7-Eleven stands by its commitment that approved claims will be paid."

The company has previously said it would cover the first $25 million in backpay claims and then expect franchisees to chip in 50c in the dollar for every claim over that amount.