The former owner of Christchurch's Watershed Bar and Restaurant and Sequoia 88 has been banned from hiring staff for three years after he persistently kept an illegal clause in his contracts.
Gordon Freeman - a former Christchurch City Councillor - stipulated in his employment contracts that staff would forfeit their holiday pay if they resigned without providing at least six weeks' notice - an illegal clause.
The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment said today in a statement: "Mr Freeman cynically abused the trust placed in employers, and disregarded the basic rules put in place to ensure everyone in the workplace is getting a fair deal".
"This ban should serve as a clear warning to any other employers who aren't taking their obligations seriously," Labour Inspectorate national manager Stu Lumsden said.
The ban was made under new regulations granted to the Employment Court in 2016 to strengthen enforcement measures available to them.
Mr Freeman's company was also ordered to pay $20,000 in penalties, of which $7845 would go to 23 affected employees, and half of those penalties would have to come from Mr Freeman personally.
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