A Limerick fast food owner has been ordered to pay more than €57,000 to a migrant worker who worked 18-hour days at several of his employer's businesses without receiving the minimum wage.
The Workplace Relations Commission has found that the company running the Mix Spice 3 in 1 restaurant on Davis Street in Limerick breached the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 by failing to pay a delivery driver properly between August 2021 and October 2023.
The WRC ruled that the name of the complainant, who was represented by the Irish Migrant Rights Centre, should not be disclosed due to his vulnerability.
The report stated that prior to his dismissal he was entirely dependent on his employer for his accommodation, immigration status and livelihood in Ireland.
Proof
The man said that although he was listed as a chef, he actually worked as a delivery driver and a salesman in a mobile phone store.
He told WRC he worked at the Solo Mobile store in Limerick, where he also lived, from 8am to 5.30pm/6pm six days a week.
He then went on to work as a delivery driver for Mix Spice 3 in 1 in Limerick from 6pm to 2.30am/3am every night, seven days a week.
In his spare time, he said, he also worked at his employer's other store, Tech More Gadgets in Templemore, County Tipperary, from 9am to 7.30pm six days a week as a sales assistant and mobile phone repair technician.
The plaintiff added that he also worked from time to time at another of his employer's establishments, Five Star Kebab and Pizza in Castleconnell, County Limerick.
He told WRC that he did not receive a salary, but was instead provided with accommodation, one meal a day and a car with insurance.
“Ask for money”
The man said he had to “beg for money” from his employer and received amounts ranging from 10 to 50 euros on an irregular basis.
WRC found that Broz Asset Private Limited, the company that runs the fast food restaurant, also transferred an average of €410 a month directly to his family in Pakistan.
The complainant reported that he experienced intense fear for his safety and the safety of his family while working for the company, as he was intimidated by his employer's connections with the police and politicians in his hometown in Pakistan.
He recalled being given three cheques totalling around 2,900 euros after he requested the money for his salary when he visited Pakistan in 2023 to visit his ailing father and attend his own engagement.
Complaint
The man said he lodged a complaint with the WRC after his employer failed to respond to a request for a certificate showing his average hourly rate of pay.
The WRC found that he worked up to 115.5 hours a week in 2021, with that figure set to be reduced to 60 hours by 2023.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
