In addition to the seven-month sentences, the three shareholders in the restaurant and its holding company were ordered to pay the employee 5,000 euros in damages for mental anguish, as well as the 28,000 in wages, plus interest, that he should have received under contract terms. The defendants were also ordered to pay all court costs.
Forced labour
According to the ruling by the District Court, the employee, who is from Nepal, worked daily shifts averaging 9 hours a day between October 2010 and August 2011. He was given only one day off every other week. During the period of his employment he received only 2,700 euros in net wages. The court said that he was entitled to around 30,700.
The court considered that employee worked under terms of employment that amounted to forced labour. It did not find evidence that he had been place in inhuman conditions, nor had he been subject to violence or threats of violence. It was determined that the employee had been properly accommodated and provided with free food.
According to the court, the main offense was that he had not been paid proper wages, an action that seriously hampered his freedom of movement.