New allegations of unpaid work and aggressive conduct by Dutchie’s business director

CTV’s Heather Senoran speaks to three people who said they are still waiting for a local grocer to hand over thousands in unpaid wages.

New people are coming forward with shocking allegations against Dutchie’s Fresh Market business director, Mike Renkema, saying they endured verbal and physical abuse.

This comes just over a year after a group of former Dutchie’s workers went public with allegations of unpaid work, setting off a deluge of similar allegations against the Waterloo Region grocer. All the people who came forward initially were recent immigrants from Ukraine.

Audio recording

CTV News also obtained several audio recordings of Renekma who appears to be yelling at former employee, 21-year-old Aditya Guleria. Guleria, an international student from India, started working at the Waterloo Dutchie’s in June 2024.

“Every week we talk about it. Every week you do that. You don’t get better. You’re an a**hole, You’re a s***head. You said you did all the chicken. You lied to me. You’re a liar. You’re a fricken piece of s***,” said a voice, alleged to belong to Renkema, in the recording.

Guleria said he was excited to work at Dutchie’s at first after he was unemployed for a few months when he first came to Canada.

“I will [be] making money and getting knowledge. That’s why I came to Canada,” he said.

However, he said he wasn’t always getting paid and was owed several thousand dollars. When he tried to quit, he said Renkema wouldn’t let him.

“Then he came to my house at 6 a.m., he’s calling me like 60, 70 times. He messaged me like hundreds [of times] on that day in the morning. He’s like, pressing my buzzer in the morning,” Guleria said.

He said Renkema wasn’t only persistent but also verbally aggressive.

“Giving long speeches for 2 hours, like shouting, abusing,” he said.

Guleria claimed it also got physical.

“Like this,” he said, grabbing his own collar. “[He would] come to me, sometimes pushing. If I tried to leave, he’s blocking the way.”

• Timeline of allegations against Dutchie’s

Guleria also said noticed a trend with the workers.

“He just mostly hired just international students and new immigrants. So they don’t know anything about the rules and stuff,” he said.

Gerie and Samiel are cousins from Eritrea. They didn’t want to be identified on camera but said their experience wasn’t the dream they thought it would be as newcomers. They started working at the Dutchie’s Waterloo location earlier this year.

“Because Canada is [a peaceful] country, then I come [to] Canada [but it] is changing my mind because working without money. How can [I] survive life?” said Gerie.

When they asked when they would get paid, they say they were told: “No payment. Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Always tomorrow.”

They claim to still be out thousands of dollars.

“[I] worked 320 hours. Almost $5,700 [owed],” said Gerie.

They both didn’t last long at the store. Samiel was there for just over a month and Gerie was there for just less than a month. After that, they both stopped coming in.

“Not coming because no money, no working,” said Gerie.

All three former employees are in the process of filing with the Ministry of Labour.

Guleria said he will also be filing a police report.

CTV News reached out to Renkema. In a statement on Tuesday he wrote, “We will review any and all concerns an employee has. An employee can always bring an issue to our attention and it will be rectified. We have and we will continue to correct all issues.”

Orders to pay

In March 2024, CTV News obtained public records showing the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour issued at least 30 pay orders against Dutchie’s and Renkema.

The cumulative total owing was $657,000.

The Kitchener store closed in August 2024.

In December 2024, Renkema pleaded guilty to 13 offences in the Employment Standards Act.

His sentencing was rescheduled and is now set for May 30.