Vineyard company breaches law, again

‘‘Once bitten, twice shy’’ seemingly does not apply to a Marlborough vineyard contracting company stung for the same employment breach twice in two years.

The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has penalised KRSVP Limited $25,000 after a Labour Inspectorate investigation found they were not keeping proper employment records.

The company was first penalised in November 2015, when they were ordered to pay $7500 for not keeping proper time and wage records, or individual employment contracts.

Labour Inspectorate regional manager Kevin Finnegan said KRSVP would have been well aware of their obligations, and it was extraordinarily disappointing they had failed to meet them.

Finnegan said the fact KRSVP had been stung twice for the same offence suggested some vineyard owners were not seeking assurance their contractors were compliant with employment law. ’’Without seeking such assurances vineyard owners won’t know whether those picking and pruning their vines are receiving their entitlements, putting the reputation of the industry at risk,’’ he said.

The Labour Inspectorate first contacted KRSVP requesting employment records in July. It took seven months for its director and sole shareholder, Sanjhe Prasad, to provide any documents.

However, these were found to be ‘‘wholly inadequate wage and time records that did not comply with the law’’.

When the company was first investigated in 2015, it was operating under the name S & LJ Prasad.

Prasad told the Inspectorate at the time he was going out of business.

However, when the case was brought to the ERA, it deemed the name change meant the business was still active and was unlikely to go into liquidation.

In addition to the most recent penalty, KRSVP was also stood down for an 18-month period from recruiting migrant labour.