Whisky bar staff haven’t been paid
The Nant whisky bar in Melbourne’s CBD has been closed for a week and half with staff walking off the job, saying they’re owed $10,000 in back pay.
Staff are refusing to work until they get paid.
Staff who had worked shifts at the bar in February say they were meant to be paid by March 1. They’re still waiting for the money.
And apart from the wages, they claim they’re owed thousands more in superannuation and other entitlements.
The Nant whisky bar is associated with the Nant Distilling Company. Also known as the NAW Distilling Company, it was founded by Keith Batt. Mr Batt filed for bankruptcy in December 2015. He owed $16 million in debts from another business.
Mr Batt subsequently told Hobart’s Mercury newspaper he has "no legal connection to Nant Distillery or any Nant company". He is no longer a director of the company.
Things got so bad last week that staff sent a joint letter to management.
The letter simply asked for some reassurance that they would be paid what they were owed.
"We as a team are committed to the success and growth of our venue and the company as a whole, and every one of us wants to stay with Nant given the opportunity," the letter said,
“However, missing pays, failure of communication from management and the negative reputation and ongoing public silence from the company is seriously testing our staying power.
"We cannot continue to strive to achieve the future we see for this bar if we perceive no support from management, and feel our basic entitlements, such as regular pay ... are not being honoured."
The letter was signed by just about everyone who works at the venue.
The ABC has since had email correspondence with Mr Batt.
He has told the ABC that "any staff wages and entitlements will be calculated within the next pay cycle".
by Leon Gettler, March 20th 2017
