Ami Tran: Fair Work Ombudsman investigates Melbourne restaurant District 3429 over wage theft claims

Fair Work has officially begun investigations into a Melbourne restaurant, that we can now name, over allegations it underpaid staff more than $40,000.

A restaurant in Melbourne’s north is being investigated by the Fair Work Ombudsman over allegations it underpaid employees by more than $40,000.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has begun an investigation into a Melbourne restaurant over allegations it underpaid its employees more than $40,000.

The investigation, which Fair Work formally confirmed on Tuesday morning into Sunbury restaurant District 3429, comes after former employees have tried to negotiate a reimbursement with the business since March.

Leader understands District 3429 has allegedly offered some former employees a payout, but that the offer was rejected on the grounds that it remained significantly below what they are owed.

A spokesperson for the Fair Work Ombudsman said the investigation into the popular Vietnamese restaurant remained ongoing, and as such were unable to provide further comment.

Beginning in March, Leader broke its first report into the staff’s alleged underpayment, which involved working as many as three unpaid trial shifts.

One former staff member told Leader they had allegedly “never recovered” from the experience of working there in 2017.

Another former employee told Leader they began their working career at the restaurant at the age of 17 in December 2018, and were paid $12 an hour to work in the kitchen.

The former employee is now seeking more than $5000 in unpaid wages after Fair Work’s PACT calculator revealed that the wage was allegedly nearly half what they were owed.

“It hurts to know they were doing it to other young people and getting away with it,” the former employee told Leader.

Sunbury business owner Ami Tran, whose restaurant District 3429 is under investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Picture: supplied

Leader is not suggesting the claims are true, only that they have been made.

Pictures obtained by Leader show District co-owner Ami Tran, who describes herself as a “restaurateur” on Linked In, sharing images of Gucci accessories on a now defunct Instagram account.

Ms Tran and District 3429 were contacted for comment by Leader.

Another former employee who has provided evidence to the Fair Work Ombudsman said they allegedly owed more than $15,000.

The former employee said they were paid $12 an hour when they began working at the restaurant as a 16-year-old in 2016, and was getting paid under $20 an hour on weekends by the time they left the business as an 18-year-old.

Ami Tran's Sunbury restaurant District 3429 is under investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman over allegations it underpaid staff more than $40,000. Picture: supplied

Of the six former employees who have spoken directly to Leader, their alleged claims total just under $45,000.