Chin Chin staff slam probe into restaurant pay claims
Chin Chin is the latest high-profile Melbourne restaurant embroiled in a pay scandal. Workers claim they were ripped off and now fear they will never get their money back.
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Chin Chin, one of Melbourne’s best known restaurants, remains in the crosshairs of Victoria’s industrial watchdog for alleged underpayments and wage theft.
But former staff have slammed the drawn-out investigation saying it should have been resolved by now.
The Lucas Group — owner of the popular eatery — is currently under investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman for allegedly underpaying full-time staff for overtime.
In 2017, the company was forced to cough up $9500 to bartender Sorcha Harrop, who took them to court.
However, insiders say the case is the “tip of the iceberg” and are now questioning why two years on there has been no finding against the company.
One former employee hit out at the regulatory body for taking too long and United Voice Victorian Secretary Ben Redford said there was “serious concerns” over the scope and timeline of the current investigation.
“Multiple former Chin Chin staff who believe they were underpaid say the Ombudsman hasn’t contacted them at all,” he said.
“We recently put detailed questions to the Ombudsman about Chin Chin to clarify if this investigation covers all restaurants at the Lucas Group, and does it go back the full six years this employer is liable for. They were unable to provide us with this information.”
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Former staff have also said The Lucas Group — who declined to comment — have severed contact and many do not expect to get their money back.
The Sunday Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they have been made.
It comes after former MasterChef judge George Calombaris was fined for underpaying workers at his restaurants by $7.8 million.
Unlike other companies under investigation, the issue at Calombaris’s establishments was discovered by the company and self-reported to authorities.
Six high profile bars along Chapel St in Melbourne were also recently raided by the ombudsman’s office — also on allegations of underpaying.
The ombudsman’s office confirmed the investigation into Chin Chin and the Lucas Group was ongoing.