"Indian" wage of $4-an-hour in Auckland Restaurants claimed

An investigation has been launched by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment into an Auckland restaurant chain following complaints that workers are being paid less than $4-an-hour.

The investigation, led by the Ministry’s Labour Inspectorate, was launched after the Ministry received a significant number of individual complaints, with some workers alleging they get paid the “Indian salary” of $265-a-week for up to 70 hours’ work.

The complaints also include allegations of:

• Workers not being paid any entitlements, such as holiday pay, public holiday payments or sick leave
• Workers being required to pay between $10,000 and $20,000 in order to remain in their job while they obtain residence
• Overcrowding conditions in accommodation provided for workers and illegal wage deductions for this accommodation

More (MSIE)