Bar staff working at Toronto’s FIFA Fan Festival were paid weeks after their wages were supposed to arrive, according to staff working the event, and some staff are saying that full tips have yet to be paid.
The weeks-long festival kicked off on June 11, the day before Toronto hosted its first-ever World Cup match. But staff working the event shared they had just been paid for their regular wages on July 2.
Bar staff were reportedly paid their share of tips by last Friday. However, according to one staff member, they are still waiting for a portion of their payout to come.
“I feel it’s resolved,” one bartender said in an interview with CTV News. “Turns out we’re still owed tips, but those are said to come by Friday.”
CTV News has agreed not to identify the bartender due to fear of reprisal.
“This is some people’s only income right now and pulling the rug right before rent is due is wild,” they said.
Roam Bar Concepts blamed “operational constraints” on the delayed wages. According to internal memos sent to staff, obtained by CTV News, the company in charge of payroll and bar management told staff it “understood how frustrating this must be and take full responsibility for the delay and the inconvenience this has caused.”
“It’s pretty wild, there’s a level of understanding to be had for logistics of such a large and still temporary workforce,” the bartender said.
In April, the City of Toronto awarded a $25 million contract to a joint venture consortium to manage the large groundbreaking event on behalf of the city.
The joint venture group consisted of multiple entertainment companies, Loft Entertainment, The Fifth Social Club, Panquin Entertainment Group, DBA Rendezvous w/ Candice & Alison Inc., and One Twenty Eight Inc.
That consortium then subcontracted beverage operations to Roam Bar Concepts, whose responsibilities included payroll management, staffing, and logistics preparation.
Toronto FIFA Fan Festival has been one of Toronto’s busiest and most popular destinations for fan celebrations and watch parties since the tournament started.
While the grounds opened up to the public in June, many staff members have been working at the event space since May, helping to set the event up.
“There are some staff members who don’t have other employment, some of whom have been on the site since May.”
While Roam Bar Concepts and City of Toronto staff said all employees at the festival were paid by the evening of July 1, some staff said they were not paid out until Thursday. Staff were also reportedly paid through e-transfer.
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson on behalf of Roam Bar Concepts said that “Bar Staff have been paid their delayed wages and all future wage payments will proceed as scheduled.”
On Tuesday, City of Toronto staff confirmed to CTV News in a statement that bar staff at the FIFA Fan Festival are employed by a third-party vendor.
City officials said they “recently became aware of concerns about delayed payments and have been working with the vendor to address the issue.”
“The vendor has advised that all outstanding wages are being paid this evening. We appreciate the concerns raised and will continue to monitor the situation until it is resolved,” the statement reads.
In an interview on Sunday with CP24, Mayor Olivia Chow reiterated the city’s efforts.
“Every worker should be paid and compensated fairly,” Chow said.
“Once the city found out, we ordered the vendor to begin paying everybody.”
The staff member CTV News spoke with called the experience a “little chaotic” but adds that working the festival was “not totally unpleasant.”
“I’d tell them to get us at least our first pay with a little more urgency. It would build trust,” they said. The staff member also said they didn’t believe they would have been paid as quickly as they did without the public backlash that surfaced online.
Complaints concerning unpaid and late wages garnered large social media attention after a post on Reddit from a staff member who was upset with the late wages. The post received more than 200 comments at the time of publication.
“I don’t think anything would have changed without public pressure and the negative public light. The second email came after staff had reached out to media and went to Reddit.”
