Former employees claim Kitchener, Ont. grocer hasn't paid them

Several people have come forward claiming they worked at Dutchie’s Fresh Food Market in Kitchener but haven’t been paid wages by the grocery company.

CTV News spoke to four employees, all of whom recently immigrated from the Ukraine and worked at Dutchie’s in 2023.

Alina Melnychuk said it was her first job in Canada and she was excited – at first.

“I was very happy because it was my first work, but now this is very sad,” Melnychuk told CTV News.

She said she worked at the Kitchener location for four months but claims she was never paid for about 246 hours.

“Now he didn’t pay me five cheques. It’s five weeks,” she explained, claiming that she is owed about $4,000.

Four former employees of Dutchie's Fresh Food Market who spoke to CTV News: Alina Melnychuk, Bohdan Savka, Natalia Savka, and Olha Fedoryk. (Heather Senoran/CTV Kitchener)

Natalia Savka and her son also worked at Dutchie’s and claims they also weren’t paid what they were owed.

“Together, it is $7,000. It is a loss. It’s very big for us,” Savka said. “It’s not normal. I have family. And I need my salary, my money.”

Savka’s son said he tried to confront management.

“I asked him: ‘Why you don’t pay me?’ And he said: ‘You are lazy. You don’t want to do anything,’” Bohdan Savka recalled.

Natalia Savka said the paycheques she would get would often bounce back.

“Two cheques, I go [submit], and it [gets] returned. I ask about my returned cheques and my regular cheques and he was angry because I asked. He don’t like when people asked about his money,” Savka explained.

She claims to know more than a dozen people who are going through similar situations after working at Dutchie’s, like Olha Fedoryk.

“Every week [I would say]: ‘You need us give me my money. I want my cheque. I want my money.’ But sometimes my cheque is returned in my account. You put a cheque but one or two days – it’s returned,” Fedoryk said, who claimed she is owed about $5,000.

Response from Dutchie’s

CTV News reached out the management team at Dutchie’s with the allegations made by several employees who said they were not paid after working for the company.

A Dutchie's Fresh Food Market store in Kitchener, Ont. on March 14, 2024. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

“Given the short notice and dealing with the recent death of our father, it's important for us to understand the situation fully so that we can take appropriate action to address it.  We want to assure everyone that we take all allegations seriously and are committed to addressing them promptly and appropriately,” said Mike Renkema, from the Dutchie’s management team.

All four of the former employees CTV News spoke to claim they have dealt with Renkema directly.

“[I was] forced to come to Mike and beg: ‘Please give me my money.’ He don’t want to. He only said: ‘I don’t have money,’”said Melnychuk.

All four former employees also said they have filed claims with the Ministry of Labour.

Fake website

A fake website has been created that is similar to the official Dutchie’s domain but the company's logo is altered to show a crying face.  The website calls out the company, claiming employees have been cheated out of their paycheques.

“In respect to the fake website, action is being taken,” Renkema said in a statement.

He also stated that Dutchie’s is a family business that has proudly served customers in Kitchener-Waterloo for over 40 years and will continue to do so.