THE boss of a former Tweed Heads trucking company has been fined $5000 for refusing to allow at least 40 of his drivers their rostered days off.

Colin Alexander Neave of Terranora who was the sole director and part-owner of transport company Corporate Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd which went into liquidation in June last year was fined by the Federal Magistrates Court.

But the truckies who lost out are unlikely to receive any entitlements because the company has gone into liquidation.

The Federal Magistrates Court fined Neave after he agreed he had denied paid days off between March 2006 and December 2009.

The drivers who transported general freight between various distribution centres in NSW were entitled to the rostered days off under their workplace award.

The court was told some were individually denied more than 20 rostered days off.

The Fair Work Ombudsman claimed the drivers were owed almost $20,000, with individual amounts ranging from $253 to $2,187.

A spokesman for the Ombudsman says the drivers however would not get the money because the company had gone into liquidation, making them unsecured creditors.

Fair Work Ombudsman Executive Director Michael Campbell has used the ruling to warn company directors they can be held accountable for the failures of their businesses to provide workers with their full entitlements.

“And we will not hesitate to pursue individual directors in cases where they are centrally involved in denying workers their entitlements,” he said.

The Ombudsman initially alleged 15 truck drivers were affected. It could not prosecute Corporate Consulting because the company is in liquidation