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DJ Shimza faces CCMA battle as more than 20 former restaurant workers demand unpaid tips DJ and music producer Shimza, real name Ashley Raphala, is facing a labour dispute after more than 20 former employees of his Thembisa restaurant, The Hang Awt 1632, accused the establishment of withholding their tips for several years. The former employees, who include waiters, kitchen staff, bartenders and managers, are planning to take the matter to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in November in an attempt to recover money they claim is owed to them. The workers received a message from management on September 10 informing them that the restaurant was closing with immediate effect.They were subsequently called into a meeting and allegedly told that the business was struggling financially, had outstanding payments to suppliers and could no longer afford to continue operating. However, according to a report by Daily Sun, the employees claim the restaurant had also failed to pay them tips earned through card transactions, with some alleging that the money had been withheld for more than five years. They explained that most customers paid for their meals using bank cards, meaning tips were processed electronically and deposited into the restaurant's account. While they received tips paid in cash, they allege that card tips were never distributed to them. The former workers maintain that the tips belong to employees and should not be retained by the business. The dispute reportedly escalated on October 1, when management allegedly offered each former employee R2,000 in exchange for signing agreements that would bring their claims against the establishment to an end. Some workers reportedly accepted the offer and signed the agreements, while others rejected it, opting instead to pursue the matter through the CCMA. Shimza has dismissed the allegations, accusing some of the former employees of lying and insisting that the restaurant's closure due to renovations and restructuring, describing the shutdown as something the business does every five years to remain competitive. He further maintained that permanent employees were still receiving their monthly salaries during the closure. buzzlifenews.com