BOSS STEALS $16,000 FROM WORKER – Scammed Other Victims
Harvinder (Harry) Singh Sidhu is a serial thief and liar, according to many former employees we have spoken to.
Dozens of Workers Ripped Off
We accused Harry Sidhu of being a crooked boss, who ripped off an employee he hired to manage his security company. But it’s much worse.
It’s clear to us Sidhu has been stealing thousands of dollars from numerous employees. Despite his many lies and delaying tricks the Employment Relations Authority has finally had enough and set July 6 as the date for Sidhu to meet his justice.
We are supporting former manager, Vikram*. We filed a case against Sidhu’s company, Central Care and Settlement Services Limited, in the Auckland Employment Relations Authority last April. We allege Sidhu cheated Vikram of $16,000. We also say Sidhu has had a pattern of gross dishonesty. His suppliers say Sidhu doesn’t pay them and many other employees say he owes them thousands in unpaid wages.
Lies, Lies, and More Lies.
For months, Sidhu went to extraordinary lengths to hide from us after we contacted him about our concerns. It wasn’t until after the Employment Relations Authority got involved that Sidhu had to finally engage a lawyer. The longer this case has gone on, the more fantasies Sidhu has spun to us.
The most ridiculous defence Sidhu claimed was that Vikram had used the company credit card whilst Sidhu was overseas, withdrawing thousands of dollars at the SkyCity casino. According to Sidhu’s logic, he was not liable because Vikram had stolen from him. Except, Vikram has no access to the card.
Despite several requests, Sidhu has not produced the times or details of withdrawals at the casino, or air tickets showing he was out of the country at the time he claims his card was used. That’s because it’s all a fabrication.
I’m not sure whether Sidhu has mental problems; is a compulsive gambler; a habitual liar; or a thief. I suspect all four.
Vikram has only been at SkyCity twice, with Sidhu, at his boss’s insistence. Vikram doesn’t gamble. His boss told Vikram to meet him there after Vikram insisted on resolving the non-payment of his wages. The other time, Sidhu got drunk and contacted Vikram to drive him home. Interestingly, at the casino, Sidhu got Vikram to use his credit card and withdraw several hundred dollars from a machine for him. Sidhu claimed he was too drunk to undertake the transaction himself.
I wouldn’t put it past Sidhu to think that this could back up his breathtakingly stupid lie. I am now sure there are multiple withdrawals from the company credit card at the casino. I wouldn’t be surprised at the end of this saga if we find the money owed to the many victims has been flushed through the casino by someone with a gambling addiction. And it’s not Vikram.
Sidhu’s latest counterclaim to the Authority is that he had actually paid Vikram through an overseas account. He doesn’t say why he choose to pay his employee through an illegal money laundering process. The Authority have asked him to produce the records of these transactions. He hasn’t. That’s because they don’t exist. I’m sure if this was true, it’s a serious crime. The Police and the IRD, I hope, would be very interested.
How the Scam Went Down
Vikram started on 1 November 2019 as Sidhu’s Business Operations Manager. His employment agreement shows an annual salary of $62,500 for 40 hours a week ($30 an hour). Vikram didn’t actually get his employment agreement until December, and received no wage payments for his work in November. The reality was Vikram was required to work 85 hours per week. Because of that, he was effectively paid $14 an hour.
Even worse, though Vikram worked for Sidhu for 12 weeks, he was only paid four times for a total of $2,800 during his entire tenure. We have the bank records. According to the IRD, Sidhu made no PAYE payments.
Vikram had two roles: providing and managing security guards for several locations, and overseeing several businesses owned by Sidhu scattered around Auckland. This required Vikram to transport security guards to and from venues and travel long distances between businesses every day. Vikram’s contract included him providing a car and having his mileage costs reimbursed at the IRD rate. We have downloaded Vikram’s GPS and he is owed $5,200.
More distressing, other workers pleaded with Vikram to help get their wages from Sidhu. Vikram on occasion paid other employees out of his own pocket, as he didn’t want them to suffer the same exploitation he was.
Throughout his entire tenure as the manager, Vikram contacted Sidhu numerous times to get himself and other staff paid. Sidhu, like all scammers, kept saying he was too busy. Sidhu even had the cheek to lecture Vikram of his “employment responsibilities” to keep the other employees away from him.
After numerous, fruitless attempts to get paid, and facing financial destitution, Vikram had no choice but to cease working for Sidhu on 22 January.
Boss Goes Into Hiding
When we first raised this matter with Sidhu, he tried a charm offensive saying it was all a misunderstanding. He offered to sit down with Vikram and us, and sort it out amicably. A date was set. He was a no-show. Then, his phone was blocked to us, and emails went unanswered.
We filed a Personal Grievance last April accusing Sidhu of stealing from Vikram. But when we found out about the many others, we said he was at the extreme end of exploitation. Overall, we calculated Sidhu owed Vikram over $30,000 in unpaid hours. But Vikram just wanted to sort it out quickly. As a compromise, he would settle for getting paid for the 40 hours a week in his contract and having his travel costs reimbursed. Sidhu should have grabbed the offer. Clearly his arrogance and his greed were too strong to overcome.
For months Harry Sidhu has been in avoidance. On 6 July he has been ordered to turn up to a public forum and explain his conduct to an Authority Investigation meeting. Like all con-men I assume he will gamble that he can lie his way out of this.
Our system has for years lets these exploiters off the hook. New Zealand workers have to be protected from crooks like Sidhu. Let’s see if workers can get justice. We will update you after Vikram and Sidhu’s day “in court”.
*name has been changed to protect the worker.
CAN YOU HELP?
Where is Harry Sidhu?
If you know anything about Harvinder (Harry) Singh Sidhu, or know anything about his exploiting or his casino activities mentioned in this article, please contact us at justice@utu.org.nz
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ACCUSED PROFILE
Name: Harvinder Singh Sidhu aka HARRY
Business: Central Care and Settlement Services Ltd
Address: 4343 Great North Road, Glendene, Auckland 0602
Phone: 022 465 2468 and 022 418 2954
Email: deltagroupnz@gmail.com and contact@centralcare.co.nz
SIDHU, Harvinder Singh
ACCOLADE SECURITY LIMITED (6744112) (Removed) – Ceased Director & Former Shareholder
CENTERAL GROUP OF COMPANIES LIMITED (7454617) – Current Director & Current Shareholder
CENTRAL CARE AND SETTLEMENT SERVICES LIMITED (7047533) – Current Director & Current Shareholder
ZAMEEN FOUNDATION WELFARE SOCIETY LIMITED (6565274) (Removed) – Director
CENTRAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM LIMITED (6515892) – Current Director & Current Shareholder
I really hope you get this guy and I hope he gets prosecuted by IRD, police (for fraud) and ERA to the fullest of their abilities.
Sadly this is the state of NZ these days (and getting worse) where people can randomly start companies and employ people and tell lies while avoiding or underpaying them and never paying any taxes.
What is particularly disgusting in this example, is that it seems to cover SIDHU, tracks he concocted a deception aka asking his employee to take out money for him at Sky City to then try and avoid paying him by alleging his employee is dishonest and setting it all up. Sadly alleging dishonesty of an employee is a classic tactic by dishonest employers to cover up their own deeds.
I am sure cameras at sky city can show who was gambling at the time with the credit card, and how often.
The idea that many people are now owed money after working for this man means it is nota one off and not a victimless crime. As well as stealing labour from those people he also is defrauding NZ taxes, undercutting other businesses in NZ doing security, no doubt doing an appalling job as a security company and creating more beneficiaries in NZ who are not paid for their work, more delays at ERA, more work for police, IRD and everyone else who has to get involved to try and stop these fraudsters.
If he has not paid people he should be prosecuted under the slavery laws. Keep going hard to stop slavery, because this behaviour of starting businesses and refusing to pay people, is becoming normalised in NZ!
Not to mention that he’s shitting all over his whakapapa and contributing to the idea that “they” are all the bloody same.
“They” aren’t by any means. (Which is a trap I thought you often fell into @ SaveNZ, justifying it with a load of exceptional media links)
People (and other animals) will do whatever they have to do in order to survive. This guy probably had a struggle when he first came here. SO DID and DO many others because of bullshit policies and lies we inflict on them.
He, like others, including the notorious Patels (Monty and Neil) in Wellington ease their conscience and justify it all by thinking that, because they had to go through it, so should others. (They’re still at it btw.
They have no mana other than that in their own minds. As I learn more about this little runt, the more I come to the conclusion that the guru he professes to worship would be rolling in his grave.
It’s by no means PECULIAR to his professed religion or beliefs. His is the religion of greed, self-aggrandisement and greed primarily. All else is secondary.
If I was in Auckland, it wouldn’t just be Great North Road I’d be looking, but places in Papatoetoe and Wiri, and then the B.O.P. He’ll be playing on others feeling vulnerable with bullshit promises. probably doesn’t even realise how many people think he’s a complete wanker
The easiest option is to stop the NZ visas being issued in the first place, that way nobody is being exploited because exploitation starts off in the parent country and then continues through the supply chain through NZ.
But then all the hanger on industries and immigration advisors making a fortune will be up in arms!!!! Their solution (and generally they profit from it personally) is to loosen immigration creating more demand and floodgates for abuse! Then wringing their hands and demanding more visas and faster.
Like a Ponzi, you close it down as soon as you know it is being abused. Close NZ Visas down, today!
I’ve been warning people not to come here through various networks for the past 5 years @savenz. INZ and other agencies are still bullshitting to people, and gummint Ministers are still dithering (Quite amusing btw, how they talk about ‘productivity’ – ‘productivity’ must be for everyone else other than those ministers and their snr. officials.)
NZ has created debt and miserable lives for a lot of people, and yes even to the point where there have been suicides.
Kind and transformational? I think not.
While the gNatz chose to industrialise the stupidity and cruelty of it all, Labour have chosen to keep kicking the can down the road because the scams are are big earner in fees for the Ministry and a load of ticket clippers, and they probably haven’t actually got a clue what to do.
Btw – there are good Immigrations Advisors, and there are very bad ones. The IAA and MBIE don’t really give a hoot about the bad ones. They’ve certainly done a bad job of monitoring them even though they run the companies register.
The good ones are always mindful of who it is they’re working for – i.e. the immigrant/prospective immigrant/student. There are a few around I’d could name including people associated with workers’ welfare.
The bad ones seem to think their role is to act as pimp for shitty PTEs, or tin pot security firms they’re running on the side, or labour hire companies, or even ‘beauty salons’ they have a financial interest in. Something the government could easily fix, just as they could fix bonding people to a specific employer. There are pretty fundamental conflicts of interest in the cistern, but it seems it’s all a bit inconvenient for gummints to fix – even ones that profess to be kind
Send him back to India – after asset stripping. Let him feel the fear of being booted out of a dream country. The time to stop favouring rich bastards was yesterday.
Another of these new New Zealanders that rip of usually their own countrymen and face little or no consequence .
Settle what they owe from the sale of their home and business then boot them out . I bet they have not paid their full tax bill.
We do not need these parasites
Yes, Trevor. There are some immigrants who come and work and try hard to be part of the New Zealand conversation. And then there are the ratbags without conscience who fail the good citizen test, and the decent human being test, and New Zealand must stop providing them with an arena to spread their corruption and bully and exploit others. If we need immigrants, then we need a better class of person than this. Boot the loud obnoxious lowlifes out.
None of this has anything to do with where the bloke comes from or his culture.
The sad reality is exactly what one would expect to see when Auckland has a casino that remains unaccountable to the community.
Casinos around the world get away with anything short of murder because they are seen as a great source of revenue for local & central government.
Too many politicians in their rush to grab that revenue never factor in the real cost or the opportunity cost of allowing punters to lose as much as possible as quickly as possible without having to check out who it is that is punting so much and where the money came from. It is the casino and/or the TAB which should be making up the cost this obvious gambling addict’s mess. Singh is likely as broke as.
McCarten can get as many judgements as he chooses but if this Singh bloke has no money (which is highly likely) the victims of the scam won’t cop anything ever.
I realise McCarten thinks this employer has created a deliberate fabric of deceit but if he is an addict as I reckon he is, all Singh is doing is saying whatever it takes to get through the next 24 hours & back on the punt.
Right now that damn casino is taking a huge toll on migrant communities, wreaking havoc everywhere just as it does with kiwi born gambling addicts.
I’m not trying to be all wowserish, some people enjoy a punt every now & again, but with casinos the numbers are always against the players, meaning anyone who goes to a casino regularly is losing regularly – that is a statistical fact.
It is time for governments to bite the bullet & acknowledge that casinos make SFA from tourists, the bulk of their earnings come from local victims and every dollar the government collects from casinos probably costs our community $5 in housing, healthcare & employment support.
Check out the findings of the Victorian government’s royal commission into crown casinos across the ditch if you want to get a handle on the rapacious & evil behaviour of casino gambling.