The Citizen reports that a Mugg & Bean franchise has fired three staff members, believed to be immigrants, for failing to provide documents for their employment.
This came after the franchiser completed its investigations into two restaurants accused in a report in The Citizen of illicit labour practices. A further two employees at the same restaurant apparently quit as a result of the company’s intervention there. The restaurant chain is embarking on a countrywide labour audit after complaints from at least six of their restaurants in Johannesburg suggested that staff members were being forced to pay a breakage fee of up to R25 a day despite their only income being a 3% commission and tips. Without a basic salary, this meant that most of these waitrons did not earn a minimum wage. According to Mugg & Bean’s Jeanne Geldenhuys, one of the restaurants they investigated has since “worked with the department of labour to ensure compliance, while the other restaurant ended up firing three of its staff”. At one restaurant, 12 team members on a commission base salary were found to not be fully compliant with the current minimum wage requirements. Team members have now been re-issued employment contracts ensuring that they earned the minimum wage. Last week, trade union federation Cosatu’s Matthew Parks said the organisation would rally its affiliate Saccawu to march to one of the restaurants. The federation was also taking legal action against Mugg & Bean to force compliance with labour legislation.
- Read the full original of Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni’s report on the abiove at The Citizen
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