Dispute at restaurant

A three-day stand off between staff members and management of Tigers Restaurant in Lautoka led to the arrest of one of its directors and more than 60 workers not being paid until yesterday afternoon. The dispute stemmed from the non-payment of wages for staff in Lautoka, Ba and Tavua last Friday. Former manager Sainiana Karan said they were informed last Thursday that they were not allowed to report to work on Friday.

“We had been told that we were terminated,” said Ms Karan. “But even then, we were not even given any official letter or any reason why we were being terminated. “So we came on Friday to demand our salary but they locked us out.



“It was really bad because it got violent. “The person behind it all was arrested because she assaulted two police officers. “We were told that we would be paid on Monday at 11am.

” Yesterday, the workers were still not paid by 11am resulting in another heated altercation between the former employees and senior staff members. “It is almost Christmas and most of us are the only ones working in our families. Some of us are single mothers and we are taking care of our elderly parents.

“We have to go back home with our wages.” By 4pm, the workers were given their salaries after assurances from the Ministry of Employment and Industrial Relations. Minister for Employment Agni Deo Singh confirmed the delay in the payment stemmed from a dispute within the family business.

Attempts to get a comment from the company proved futile. Meanwhile, police confirmed a woman in her 40s was arrested at the restaurant last Friday after an altercation with police officers..