His name is Chang Xi. We are hunting him. Chang is an owner of multiple Shake Shed & Co. ice cream parlours and serially exploits his workers. When in trouble, it seems he liquidates the affected companies, then transfers their assets to other companies he owns.
Chang Xi, of Shake Shed & Co. ice cream parlours, was ordered by the Employment Relations Authority to pay one of his victims $15,000. Chang has gone into hiding, although his businesses still operate. Help us track him down.
The Authority recently found Chang guilty of exploitation and mistreatment of a young female employee. Like many exploiters, Chang didn’t even bother to attend the Authority meeting. Instead, he removed his name as director of the company. Though the young victim was awarded nearly $15,000, Chang has paid nothing, and the company has been liquidated. The worker was robbed. The repercussions for Chang? Nothing!
It seems the Employment Relations Authority has all the authority of a wet bus ticket.
Chang’s employee at Shake Shed & Co. in the Coastlands mall was forced to quit her job after just six weeks because of Chang’s abusive and illegal behaviour. Chang was found to be directly responsible for several serious employment breaches.
The Authority ruled that Chang had “failed to comply with the minimum procedural fairness standards”, failed to pay wages on time, failed to provide the worker with rest and meal breaks, and unreasonably required her to remain at work during a medical emergency. He also breached his duty to act in good faith when giving the worker an unjustified warning, after she complained about her treatment.
Put simply, they found Chang guilty of being an abuser and exploiter.
The Authority ordered Chang’s company, BB Icy Limited (trading as Shake Shed & Co.) pay $14,796 in compensation to the worker. Despite the Authority hearing taking place in August 2020, the Authority took 10 months to release their decision.
By the time the Authority got off their butts and did their job, the company had been put into liquidation to avoid any responsibility. Chang has paid nothing. Great system, if you are a crooked capitalist.
In New Zealand there are effectively two laws: one for employers and one for workers. If a boss steals from their employees, it’s treated as a civil misdemeanour. But when an employee steals, it’s a criminal matter, and they could go to jail.
Chang is now the director and sole shareholder of a new company called BB&C Limited (note the almost identical name of his previous company). On the Companies Register, Chang describes it as “motor vehicle body repairing”. Yeah, right.
Shake Shed & Co. is a common store in malls around NZ and seems to be run as franchises. Chang was formerly the master franchisee for the entire Shake Shed & Co. chain. Whilst it’s murky whether Chang still controls Shake Shed & Co. stores, he did directly run at least two, one in Paraparaumu and one in Christchurch.
We know this because workers from both these stores complained that Chang refused to give staff breaks. They have to stand all day. Unfortunately, the workers are too scared to come forward.
But you can step up for them.
Despite puff pieces over the years in the business press, there are no photos of Chang on public record. We want to find where he lives, what he looks like, and what he is up to. Can you help us track him down?
Here is what we know about him.
Chang Xi
Registered Office: 29 Ernest Gray Place, Halswell, Christchurch 8025.
- BB&C Limited – Current Director and Shareholder
- BB ICY Limited (In Liquidation) – Ceased Director and Former Shareholder
- Food Retail Christchurch Limited – Ceased Director and Former Shareholder
- Cone Enterprises (NZ) Limited. (In Liquidation and Receivership) – Current Shareholder
- Chang Feng Limited (Removed) – Shareholder
- Advance Motors Limited (Removed) – Shareholder
- PAC Ventures Limited (Removed) – Shareholder
- BB Health Limited (Removed) – Director and Shareholder
Email justice@oneunion.org.nz if you know more about Chang Xi or Shake Shed & Co.
——————————————————————————————————
Matt McCarten is Union Director of One Union. Help us win justice for victims of exploitation and abuse in non-unionised workplaces. Go to www.oneunion.org.nz, or free phone 0800 368 000.
Report cases of mistreatment and unfairness. Donate to our work and join us.
And where do these workers come from? If they are foreigners, are they fully informed of their rights before they take up the job? Are they tied to this man and his jobs because of immigration status? Let’s identify all the other employers who are guilty of this exploitation. It’s got to stop – not good enough.
A crooked operator. Unfortunately there’s plenty of them out there.
Go you @ M.Mc C.
Good luck at finding the little shit.
We need a billboard on Sparks road, his house is at the back of Ernest Gray Place and the back of it is on Sparks road, a prominent road – partially rural.
Matt have you a photo of this moron?
Hi Michal. This guy has had puff pieces done on him in the business press several times. But no photos with any of them. I have contacted those media outfits and they have nothing. This guys didn’t turn up to the Employment Authority so we still don’t know what he looks like. Hopefully by pushing this article out there someone will contact us with his photo. Matt
Shared this on a few left wing Facebook blogs and christchurch ones.
Hopefully the shit will be found.
So strange I used to work for him he was never like that back then I have email addresses and phone number not sure if they still work also 2 other address if he still has the 2 places
This is a very real issue….but big employers engage in not dissimilar practices and they’re ‘100percent Kiwi mate’ so let’s not go on NZs usual ‘it’s the bloody foreigners rampage’…and yes there are ‘cultural differences’ around how you treat people involved to deny that is stupidity….
But the NZ agricultural sector does pretty well out of indentured labour dunnit?
+100
As a few a prone to do (even in here)
Where there’s money to be made, too many will take the opportunity. And they’ll often rationalise it thinking that because they had to go through the process of being ripped off, so should others.
(There are expat Kiwis, Okkers and South Africans in London ripping each other off, just as there are Pakeha Koiwoi jokers in NuZUll. And let’s not even start on returning 501s and their relationship with Maori in Kiwiland). NONE of it is OK
Comments are closed.