They were told jobs aren't free. Then came the deductions, the cash clawbacks, the bankruptcy
Twelve migrant nail technicians each paid roughly NZ$30,000 for jobs that short-changed them on almost every front.
The workers - all recruited from Vietnam to a Wellington nail salon - were collectively owed more than $180,000 in unpaid wages, missing holiday pay, and unlawful deductions, New Zealand's Employment Relations Authority found in a determination issued on September 28, 2026.
Then the salon operator went bankrupt. And the workers' path to recovery effectively closed.
The case started with a knock on the door. On December 5, 2023, labour inspectors turned up unannounced at a nail salon on Ghuznee Street, Wellington, as part of a proactive check on Accredited Employers. What they found raised "significant concerns," the determination noted.
The Labour Inspector filed claims on behalf of 12 former employees. The breaches covered nearly every minimum employment standard on the books: unlawful wage deductions, minimum wage shortfalls, missing holiday and public holiday pay, unpaid rest and meal breaks, and a failure to keep proper wage and time records.
The numbers told the story. Minimum wage arrears alone ran to more than $135,000 across 11 workers, with one employee owed over $36,000 and another more than $28,000. Holiday pay shortfalls added a further $19,500. Wage deductions totalled more than $16,000 across three workers. Unpaid public holiday entitlements added...
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