Takeaway chef worked 70-hour weeks for under €3 an hour, tribunal told

A migrant chef employed at a takeaway in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, worked up to 73 hours weekly for approximately €25 daily while servicing an illegal recruitment debt of €30,000, the Workplace Relations Commission heard on Tuesday. Xiaofeng Gao, who held a valid employment permit stipulating €16.76 hourly as chef de partie, received only €150 per week. His passport was retained by the employer from November 2023 until gardaí intervened. Mr Gao seeks nearly €200,000 in back pay and compensation for alleged breaches spanning August 2022 to August 2024 at Eskimo Pizza, Main Street. Claims include minimum wage violations, unlawful wage deductions, unpaid leave entitlements, and alleged racial discrimination under employment equality legislation. The company operator and its director did not appear before adjudicator Shay Henry, who directed the respondent be afforded opportunity to respond before determination.