Getting employees to confess their sins to a priest is bizarre, but this is something that has actually happened. A Mexican restaurant called Taqueria Garibaldi, in California, allegedly brought a priest to the workplace who got its employees to confess to the sins they had committed at work! The confessions took place during duty hours, where the employees were goaded about cash theft, tardiness and even going against their boss. The priest of course was not a genuine one either.
When the matter was investigated by the Department of Labour, it was discovered that the restaurant was trying to retaliate and keep its employees from speaking out. It was attempting to hamper investigations that would have led to the revelation of wage issues.
The staff members were not paid for overtime, which is a clear violation of labour laws. The managers unlawfully made payments from the tips kitty of the employees. The workers were also threatened that immigration investigations would be conducted against them if they cooperated with the Labour Department’s investigations. An employee was even fired because they suspected him to have contacted the Department.
Fox News reports that the restaurant will now be paying $70,000 in back wages to its employees and about $70,000 in damages, in addition to $5,000 in civil penalties.
1 Comment
Fine. This kind of practices and pressures on employees shall be curbed at any cost as it will demoralise employees and may set some bad precedent for other organisations. An active labour department can only do this and save employees.