A motor inn and café in Lewis Pass has been ordered to pay $19,296 in penalties and arrears by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) for failing to pay a migrant worker minimum wage or holiday pay.
Alpine Motor Inn and Café was fined a $5000 penalty for taking advantage of a vulnerable migrant worker as well as an additional $7500 in penalties for failure to maintain records, or pay minimum wage.
While director Jerry Hohneck argued that the worker was a volunteer and not an employee during the three-month period, the ERA said the evidence provided did not stack up.
