Rockpool Dining Group scandal: Neil Perry fronted restaurant denies fraud allegations
The restaurant empire fronted by celebrity chef Neil Perry has slammed allegations it purposely ripped off staff as “false and misleading”, while the workplace watchdog has called for more evidence.
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The Neil Perry fronted Rockpool Dining Group has denied it purposely ripped off staff after bombshell allegations were levelled by a top law firm today.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers lodged an official request for the Fair Work Ombudsman to “formally prosecute” the fine-dining empire.
A Fair Work Ombudsman spokesperson confirmed it received correspondence from Maurice Blackburn on October 17 alleging breaches of the Fair Work Act regarding three unidentified employees.
“In order to effectively investigate these allegations, the FWO has requested that Maurice Blackburn provide it with any relevant evidence and encourage these employees to contact the FWO directly,” the spokesperson said.
In its official complaint to the workplace watchdog, Maurice Blackburn claimed Rockpool Group tampered with timesheets as part of an “audacious multimillion-dollar campaign to deny employees overtime entitlements”.
However, a Rockpool spokesperson said it had not received any submission from Maurice Blackburn or union Hospo Voice.
A company spokesperson said the “false and misleading” allegations were “extremely serious”.
“We believe the article published by Fairfax includes false and misleading information and
includes allegations by parties with limited knowledge of relevant facts,” the spokesperson said.
“These allegations have been made without any substantiation.
“In particular, comments relating to Rockpool attributed to United Workers Union national
secretary Tim Kennedy are simply untrue.
“RDG has no evidence to substantiate claims of group-wide manipulation or destruction of
data in order to intentionally underpay employees.
“RDG continues to assess historical wage practices and remains committed to addressing
legacy practices.
“At all times the company remains engaged with FWO and RDG team members, past and present.”
The bombshell allegations came after the union instructed Maurice Blackburn to investigate numerous complaints from current and former staff of unlawful conduct at Rockpool.
Maurice Blackburn said Rockpool’s alleged estimated $10 million “wage theft” bill represented “one of the most egregious cases of wage theft Australia has seen yet”.
The law firm said a “wage theft scandal of this magnitude” exceeded the George Calombaris scandal.
Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Josh Bornstein said the “falsification of timesheets disproves the employer narrative of complex awards and honest mistakes”.
“Based on information provided, Rockpool has been caught falsifying the time sheet
records of staff in order to cheat them out of their wages,” he said.
“Following the Calombaris debacle, the Ombudsman must now prosecute Rockpool and
go for the maximum fines available to salvage its reputation as a regulator.”
The complaint comes as former Rockpool chef Rohit Karki kicks off his Federal Court case against his ex-employer.
Mr Karki alleged he was “treated like a slave” and “forced to sleep on a pastry bench between 20-hour shifts”.
“I felt trapped,” he said.
“I went into a depression (and) it was the darkest period in my life but eventually I complained about this wage theft and how Rockpool treated me then I was bullied out of my job.
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“I have had hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from me by the Rockpool Dining Group, and I want it back,” he claimed.
Union National Secretary Tim Kennedy said Rockpool’s alleged actions were “calculated pursuit of profit maximisation”.
Rockpool, one of Australia’s top restaurant groups, is owned Private Equity group and includes high-end restaurants including Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, Rosetta, Sake.
Its estimated to employ 2500 staff working across 80 venues with a turnover of $400m a year.