Worker who spoke out against mistreatment of Christchurch café staff 'disappointed' at lack of apology from owner

November 23, 2020

Last week Levi Painter posted online about an interview and her brief time at C1 Expresso.

A worker who spoke out against mistreatment of staff by a Christchurch café owner, says she’s disappointed at not receiving an apology from her former boss.

Last week Levi Painter posted about her interview experience and brief time at C1 Espresso in Christchurch.

It prompted hundreds of allegations from former staff and job applicants, including verbal abuse, inappropriate interview questions about mental health and a lack of breaks.

Yesterday, C1 Espresso owner Sam Crofskey said he will take “a long break” to receive “professional advice” and assess his “fit in the company”.

Hundreds of people have come forward on social media with the claims.

Crofskey rejected specific claims, but accepted overall responsibility.

“During this time I will be taking professional advice around workplace culture and will assess my fit in the company,” Crofskey wrote in a Facebook post.

“I’ve always valued our team, and I want everyone who works with us to feel valued.

“This has been an immensely upsetting time for everyone.”

Painter says his comments don’t go far enough.

“To not get an apology for all those people who he mistreated for so many years was really disappointing,” she told 1 NEWS.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield has cautioned people to remain vigilant.

Those in hospitality say the industry has a wider culture problem.

“We know our industry is broken. We know that we are not being treated fairly and we know it’s having a detrimental impact on mental wellbeing,” Chloe Ann-King of Raise the Bar Union says.

New Zealand has the second highest rate of workplace bullying in the OECD and welfare experts say the key to tackling it is education so workers know their rights. 

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