[UK] Migrant workers exploited by South London restaurant

A south London restaurant has been fined and stripped of its late-night licence after its exploitation of migrant workers was discovered, Yahoo reports.

The Lebanese Garden Lounge on Balham High Road was found to have employed five people without a legal right to work in the UK. Its owner has been fined nearly £15,000.

The affected workers reportedly said they were being paid well below the minimum wage and one man said he was only receiving meals from the restaurant as pay.

Home Office officials raided the restaurant on March 10 2023.

The Home Office successfully applied to have The Lebanese Garden Lounge’s late-night licence revoked from Wandsworth Borough Council that June and the owner, Karim Ali, reportedly appealed.

His appeal was rejected in late December, meaning the venue is no longer allowed to sell late-night refreshments after 11pm.

In addition, Mr Ali has been ordered to pay the council’s legal costs, amounting to just under £15,000.

Caroline Sharkey - Head of Licensing - said, “This case sends out two strong messages to licence holders that they must not employ people whose immigration status means they are not allowed to work and they must not exploit any staff members by paying them less than the minimum wage.

“Business owners who flout these simple rules run the very real risk of losing their licence.”

The council reportedly said that Mr Ali had denied claims his staff were working illegally but was able to "offer no evidence to support his denials and no adequate explanation was given for his paying employees less than the minimum wage".

"Mr Ali disputed the wage rates given by employees when they had been interviewed by the Home Office Enforcement Team. He insisted that all employees were paid at least the minimum wage and food was not included as part of their pay," the licencing sub-committee decision said.

"One man was on a trial shift and was not being paid but did receive a free meal at the end of the shift."

However the council committee "felt that paying less than minimum wage is indicative that Mr Ali was aware that his employees did not have the right to work in the UK", the decision stated.

The decision continued, "It was clear that such workers would struggle to find alternative employment and are unlikely to complain. It was found that it was most likely that the licence holder did know that workers were being employed illegally."

The Home Office was reportedly approached for comment.

Source: Yahoo

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

A south London restaurant has been fined and stripped of its late-night licence after its exploitation of migrant workers was discovered, Yahoo reports.

The Lebanese Garden Lounge on Balham High Road was found to have employed five people without a legal right to work in the UK. Its owner has been fined nearly £15,000.

The affected workers reportedly said they were being paid well below the minimum wage and one man said he was only receiving meals from the restaurant as pay.

Home Office officials raided the restaurant on March 10 2023.

The Home Office successfully applied to have The Lebanese Garden Lounge’s late-night licence revoked from Wandsworth Borough Council that June and the owner, Karim Ali, reportedly appealed.

His appeal was rejected in late December, meaning the venue is no longer allowed to sell late-night refreshments after 11pm.

In addition, Mr Ali has been ordered to pay the council’s legal costs, amounting to just under £15,000.

Caroline Sharkey - Head of Licensing - said, “This case sends out two strong messages to licence holders that they must not employ people whose immigration status means they are not allowed to work and they must not exploit any staff members by paying them less than the minimum wage.

“Business owners who flout these simple rules run the very real risk of losing their licence.”

The council reportedly said that Mr Ali had denied claims his staff were working illegally but was able to "offer no evidence to support his denials and no adequate explanation was given for his paying employees less than the minimum wage".

"Mr Ali disputed the wage rates given by employees when they had been interviewed by the Home Office Enforcement Team. He insisted that all employees were paid at least the minimum wage and food was not included as part of their pay," the licencing sub-committee decision said.

"One man was on a trial shift and was not being paid but did receive a free meal at the end of the shift."

However the council committee "felt that paying less than minimum wage is indicative that Mr Ali was aware that his employees did not have the right to work in the UK", the decision stated.

The decision continued, "It was clear that such workers would struggle to find alternative employment and are unlikely to complain. It was found that it was most likely that the licence holder did know that workers were being employed illegally."

The Home Office was reportedly approached for comment.

Source: Yahoo

(Link and quotes via original reporting)