The ex-employee alleges it happened after requesting his final pay packet for a number of weeks.
Popular Dublin restaurant Alfie’s has been accused of paying an employee with a bucket of coins.
A former employee of the South William Street restaurant, Rian Keogh, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night that after requesting his final pay packet for weeks, he finally received it in the form of a tub of change.
He also posted a picture of the bucket, which had previously been used to store Hellmann’s Mayonnaise.
“If anyone wants to know what it was like to work in Alfie’s on South William Street just know after chasing my last pay for weeks I finally got it but in a bucket of 5c coins,” Keogh wrote.
If anyone wants to know what it was like to work in alfies on south william street just know after chasing my last pay for weeks I finally got it but in a bucket of 5c coins. pic.twitter.com/otKhikIU5q
— Rian Keogh (@rianjkeogh) September 14, 2021
The post attracted significant attention on social media, garnering thousands of likes and retweets, with many condemning the alleged behaviour from Alfie’s.
Among those who shared the post was Amnesty International Ireland Executive Director Colm O’Gorman who wrote: “Seriously. Petty, mean, nasty stuff.”
Speaking to JOE on Wednesday, Keogh said that he gave less notice than he should have of his intention to stop working in Alfie’s and ended up “chasing” Alfie’s owner Niall McMahon for his final pay packet.
Eventually, he said he was called in to receive his wages, where he was met with an “embarrassed” manager, who had to give him the coins. Keogh said he was “so blown back” about receiving his wages in this manner.
“I think I went red first and then I started laughing, I was just shocked, I couldn’t believe he actually did it,” he said.
Keogh, a UCD Economics and History student, said he just started working at Alfie’s in July to get off the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and had no previous bar experience.
He is due to start working in Spar next week and said this episode wouldn’t put him off working in the hospitality sector again.
JOE reached out to Alfie’s and Niall McMahon for a statement, with McMahon responding that he would not comment on a private matter.
Main image via Twitter/@rianjkeogh.
