Fun Tea owner Jason Duan says he paid alleged assault victim $10 an hour

The owner of the Fun Tea shop where a worker was allegedly assaulted has admitted to paying the woman less than half the amount she’s entitled to.

The owner of a bubble tea store where an employee was allegedly assaulted last week has admitted to paying the woman $10 an hour.

Jason Duan has also claimed, in an interview on YouTube, that there is extended footage of the now widely circulated incident that will provide more context.

In the video, which is spoken in Mandarin with YouTuber ‘Sydney Daddy’, Mr Duan said the first hour of “trial work” at his Fun Tea store was unpaid.

Asked whether the woman who was allegedly assaulted at the store was paid $10 an hour, Mr Duan said: “This girl was, indeed, paid $10 until the day of the incident”.

He also reiterated his claim that the alleged assault “has nothing to do with the shop” and said he felt “sorry” and “regret” over the incident.

The legislated national minimum wage in Australia is $19.84 per hour, with at least an extra 25 per cent loading for casual employees.

Fun Tea owner Jason Duan in an interview on YouTube spoken in Mandarin with YouTuber ‘Sydney Daddy’. Picture: YouTube

Footage surfaced online last week of a female employee allegedly being hit across the face and kicked in the stomach at the CBD shop.

The employee is shown in the video arguing in Mandarin about her pay.

A notice was placed on the door of the business by its owners claiming the incident was unrelated to the wage dispute and that the alleged attacker was not connected to the business.

Gavin Guo, 39, has been arrested and charged with assault.

Protests have been held outside the business opposing violence and alleged wage theft.

It comes as an expert says the alleged wage theft and worker exploitation at Fun Tea is just the “tip of the iceberg” of a much wider problem.

Modern slavery researcher Dr Katherine Christ, who also lectures in business and accounting at UniSA, said examples such as allegations of underpayment at Fun Tea Gouger Street was often a slippery slope for more extreme versions of employer exploitation in many businesses.

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