Restaurateurs rally for young workers

Dozens of young bar workers have been left high and dry after an inner-city restaurant collapsed, prompting one of Perth's best-known restaurateurs to organise an appeal to help them.

Helping out: James Connolly and Scott Taylor with some of the workers. Picture: Ben Crabtree/The West Australian

Less than two years after opening with a ritzy event, Perth eatery Butterworth Bar & Kitchen has gone into liquidation allegedly owing more than 30 staff, many of them students, tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid entitlements.

The West Australian _was told one is owed more than $4000 in wages and superannuation.

Their predicament prompted Scott Taylor, who runs The Trustee, Beaufort Street Merchant and Enrique's School For To Bullfighting, to try to help affected workers.

With business partner James Connolly, Mr Taylor will host an event at Angel's Cut, on St Georges Terrace, next Monday.

Half of all takings will go towards compensating them.

Mr Taylor said this would not cover all their losses but would hopefully tide them over until other opportunities came along.

"I've heard people are having to move back in with their mum, there are kids who can't drive to a job interview because they haven't got petrol and there are kids going hungry," he said.

"Regardless of whose fault it is, regardless of what happened . . . my heart just went out to them. I've thought I've just got to do something.

"So I'm sending the word out to everybody at large but specifically to the hospitality industry.

"Monday is totally appropriate because that's the night all the hospo guys go out and get on it."

Source : The West Australian   Daniel Mercer  February 16th 2015