Red Guard: Our system was hacked

Boss's excuse for not paying employee

Awoman chasing payment for working 128 hours, including two public holidays, was told there was a system hack before her employer ceased all communication, leaving her unpaid and without any explanation as to why.

Shabeena Mansoori was employed by Red Guard Security Services Ltd as a night security guard and worked at the Bruce Pulman Park in Takanini for three months in 2023.

The issues with the company’s sole director, Harpreet Singh, began almost immediately when he failed to provide her with a written employment agreement for the verbal fulltime work agreement in which he said she would be paid fortnightly.

From March 1 to May 30, Mansoori worked 128 hours including two public holidays but was not paid once.

She told the Employment Relations Authority when she questioned that Singh told her “his system got hacked and he was unable to access his accounts”, an excuse he used until her employment ended on May 30, 2023.

The authority’s investigation concluded in his absence and found him in breach of multiple employment standards.

The breaches were failure to provide a written employment agreement, failure to keep wage and time records, failure to keep a record of holiday pay and public holiday entitlements and a breach of being paid less than minimum wage, because she was not paid at all.

“The respondent has had the use of Mrs Mansoori’s money which has caused her considerable stress and financial embarrassment,” authority member Rachel Larner said in a recently released decision.

“Mr Singh knowingly aided, abetted and directly caused all of the breaches of employment standards that the respondent engaged in because he had complete control over the respondent’s actions as Mrs Mansoori’s employer.”

The ERA ordered Red Guard Security to pay Mansoori $9389 with interest until paid in full. A direction was also made if the company did not pay, Singh must personally pay.