Court Orders Liquor Store Owners to Pay Over $250,000 After Underpaying Staff for Years

(Photo: Adrien Olichon/Pexels)

Multiple liquor store owners have been ordered by the Employment Court to pay employees after breaching minimum wage and holiday laws. The case occurred in New Zealand and involves five employees who will be paid more than $250,000 collectively.

The businesses include Liquor, The Bottle-O Manly, The Bottle-O Point Chevalier and The Bottle-O Taihape and are owned by Ravinder Kumar Arora and Anuradha Arora. These two individuals were named as defendants.

Judge Kathryn Beck ruled that the companies breached the Minimum Wage Act 1983 and Holidays Act 2003. The individuals affected were employed between Jan. 26, 2016 and Dec. 22, 2019.

“Payment of the amounts ordered (totaling $259,685, gross before tax) is to be made to the Labour Inspector for distribution to the five affected employees, in accordance with their entitlements outlined above,” said Judge Beck, according to Human Resources Director.

In addition, the court banned Ravinder Kumar Arora from entering an employment agreement as an employer. Also, Arora is barred from hiring or employment of employees for a 12-month period starting Feb. 27, 2023.

“The first to fourth defendants have acknowledged that they have breached employment standards, including breaches of minimum entitlement provisions in respect of the five complainant employees. They have also acknowledged record-keeping breaches in relation to wage and time records, and holiday and leave records,” said the judge. 

In addition, Judge Beck indicated that “the sixth and seventh defendants have acknowledged their involvement in the breaches, relevant to the breaches of the minimum entitlement provisions committed on and after 1 April 2016.”

The court records suggest these employees went almost three years being underpaid. Hopefully, the court’s ruling with provide some relief to these individuals.

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