Cavan Restaurant Owner Fined €154,000 for Exploiting Chinese Chef and Violating Employment Laws

Dublin: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has imposed a €154,000 fine on a restaurant owner in County Cavan for serious breaches of employment law, including failure to pay minimum wage, denial of leave entitlements, and excessive working hours. The case was brought to light through the intervention of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI), which assisted the victim, Chinese chef Xiaofeng Gao.

Gao, who worked at Ming Gao (Eskimo Gao Ming Limited) restaurant in Ballyjamesduff between 2022 and 2024, was found to have been grossly underpaid and subjected to exploitative working conditions. The WRC determined that Gao was paid below the statutory minimum wage, denied proper rest periods, and forced to work between 63 and 73 hours per week, often six to seven days without proper compensation.

He was also unpaid for 105 Sundays and was not granted annual leave or public holiday pay, the Commission found. In total, €65,505 in unpaid wages were owed to Gao.

Extortion and Exploitation

The investigation revealed that Gao was illegally charged €30,000 by his employer to secure a work permit before arriving in Ireland in July 2022. His passport was confiscated, and he was made completely dependent on his employer for his immigration status and residence. The WRC concluded that Gao faced racial discrimination and exploitation, worsened by his limited English proficiency and lack of knowledge about Irish labour laws.

Gao’s case mirrors a growing pattern of exploitation among migrant workers in Ireland’s hospitality sector, particularly involving foreign chefs brought in through unethical recruitment practices. MRCI estimates that around 500 Indian chefs in Ireland are currently facing similar abuses, with many reportedly paying between ₹10 lakh and ₹15 lakh for work permits arranged by employers or recruiters.

Calls for Stronger Protection

Sylwia Nowakowska, Workplace Rights Coordinator at the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, said the case highlights the urgent need for stronger oversight of the work permit system and better protections for migrant workers.

“More must be done to ensure that people arriving in Ireland on work permits are fully informed of their rights in a language they understand,” Nowakowska said. “Exploitation thrives where information and enforcement are weak.”

The MRCI has urged the government to strengthen workplace inspections, provide multilingual resources on labour rights, and hold employers accountable for abuses within the work permit system.

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