澳大利亚名厨Michael Lambie旗下餐厅Juni的前经理Richard Duncan已向联邦巡回法院提起诉讼，指控餐厅提议用员工小费赔偿破损玻璃杯费用的做法违反劳动法，并因其反对该提议而遭到报复。[1]Duncan在2025年2月向Lambie表示，这一做法可能违反澳大利亚劳动法。[1]Lambie随后回应称，"即使员工向Fair Work投诉，Fair Work也不会理睬"。[1]
在Duncan提出异议数月后，Juni于2025年8月以成本压力为由宣布其岗位冗余。[1]然而Duncan声称，餐厅在宣布裁员前数周曾告知其已实现40万澳元利润，预计首年赚100万澳元。[1]此外，Juni在2月通过招聘平台Seek刊登了年薪高达10万澳元的餐厅经理职位，职责与Duncan的合同相符。[1]Duncan要求获得失业补偿、罚款和名誉赔偿。[1]
这桩案件反映了澳大利亚高端餐饮业的workplace compliance问题。[1]根据Fair Work Ombudsman的数据，澳大利亚Fair Work去年从餐饮业恢复了310万澳元未支付工资。[1]
A former manager of Juni restaurant, owned by celebrity chef Michael Lambie, has filed a case in Australia's Federal Circuit Court alleging serious workplace violations, including an unlawful scheme to deduct employee tips for damaged glassware [1]. Richard Duncan claims that in February 2025, Lambie proposed that staff use their tips to compensate for broken glasses, a practice Duncan warned would violate Australian labor law [1]. When Duncan opposed the arrangement, Lambie responded by saying that "even if employees complained to Fair Work, Fair Work wouldn't care," according to Duncan's account [1].
After raising these concerns, Duncan alleges he faced a series of retaliatory actions culminating in his dismissal [1]. Juni announced in August 2025 that Duncan's position had been made redundant due to cost pressures [1]. However, Duncan contends that weeks before his termination, he had been informed the restaurant had achieved AUD 400,000 in profit and was projecting AUD 1 million in revenue for its first full year [1]. Duncan's claims are further supported by the fact that Juni advertised for a restaurant manager role through recruitment platform Seek in February at a salary of up to AUD 100,000 annually—responsibilities that aligned with Duncan's employment contract [1].
Duncan is seeking unemployment compensation, penalties, and damages for lost reputation [1]. His case highlights broader compliance issues within Australia's high-end dining sector, where the Fair Work Ombudsman recovered AUD 3.1 million in unpaid wages from the hospitality industry last year [1]. Juni is majority-owned by Red Rock Venues, which generated AUD 93 million in revenue last year and holds a two-thirds stake in the restaurant [1].