Boss called porter a ‘donkey’ and grabbed his neck for not boiling a pan of peas 

A restaurant boss called a staff member a ‘donkey’ and treated him ‘like a slave’, an employment tribunal has heard.

Gurhan Mustafa, 45, had employed kitchen porter Dimitar Dimov at Mambocino, in London.

The tribunal was told the Bulgarian was forced to work seven days a week and had no time to wash his uniform between shifts.

He also was expected to pick up shifts at the next door Riverside Fish and Steakhouse, which Mr Mustafa ran with his partner Edita.

Mr Mustafa was said to have grabbed Mr Dimov by the throat after he failed to boil a pan of peas, the tribunal was told.

When the porter arrived at work with an open can of a soft drink, he was called a ‘pig’.

Mr Dimov, who was said to have had little English when he first started at Mambocino, was also paid less than the minimum wage.

He eventually quit in November 2019 then later sued for racial discrimination.

During his time as Mr Mustafa’s kitchen porter, Mr Dimov claimed he was assaulted four times and said he was ‘treated like a slave’.

Tribunal chairman Judge Lise Burge said: ‘Witnesses said the claimant worked all day at Mambocino and in the evening at Riverside.

‘One said the claimant worked seven days a week and would also leave work to carry out his personal tasks such as hairdressing, going to the post office and bank.

‘The claimant never received holiday pay. Mr Mustafa frequently behaved in an abusive and offensive way towards the claimant.

‘The claimant was overworked and subjected to humiliation, threats, curses, swearing, maltreatment being called idiot, animal, pig, donkey, cow and gypsy. The claimant experienced this unwanted treatment as hostile, degrading humiliating and offensive.’

The tribunal was told Mr Dimov received £300 cash in hand each week.

During the hearing, Mr Mustafa denied being abusive. He accused the kitchen porter of picking up mashed potatoes with his bare hands and serving handfuls to customers.

But when giving evidence, the restaurant boss repeatedly lost his temper and was said to have called Mr Dimov’s representative Gina Pratt a ‘bad person.’

Judge Burge decided Mr Mustafa had ‘taken advantage’ of Mr Dimov.

She said: ‘The claimant was treated very badly throughout his employment. He was overworked, underpaid and he was subjected to verbal abuse, and on two occasions, to physical abuse – he was pushed against a wall and grabbed by the throat.