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Boss speaks out after business picketed
He has been called a “wage stealing boss” and his business picketed, but Goodarz Nikouee insists he has done nothing wrong.
Iran-born Nikouee has been the owner of Cafe Amore on Nelson Street for the last 18 years. “And for the last 40 years in this country I have never even got a parking ticket,” he told Bristol24/7.
But the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and Bristol Solidarity Network joined forces to demonstrate outside the cafe on Saturday following a dispute about wages with a former member of staff.
There has also been a lot of accusations on social media, with the hashtag #abhoramore being used on Twitter.
Bonny Chung’s job at Cafe Amore came to an end on October 3, when she resigned before Nikouee was about to let her go for what he described as “various errors at the till”.
She claimed that she was owed £207.98 for the 23.75 hours worked, but Nikouee only paid her £187, docking her pay for persistent late starts.
In a letter seen by Bristol24/7 sent to Nikouee by the IWW, they said that if the money owed was not paid by 4pm on November 13, “the IWW will commence public protests at your place of business until this matter is resolved to Ms Chung’s satisfaction”.
Those protests took place on Saturday, with some 30 demonstrators outside the cafe, singing, chanting and handing out leaflets to passers-by.
On Monday, Nikouee paid the remaining £20.98 to Chung.
“It’s not worth the hassle,” he said. “What else can I do? I have a lot of people coming through working here, but if they are not good enough to work here they have got to go.”
He added: “I have got a good reputation. This hurts, especially as I never ever put a foot wrong.”