Two supermarket managers who say they were unfairly dismissed will fly home tomorrow after claiming the Government has failed to help them.

Canadians Ray Chehayeb and Shafiq Cheema can no longer afford to live in Bermuda after their boss Frank Arnold allegedly failed to pay their outstanding wages.

They claim they were fired after moves to bring the boss of Arnold’s Markets before an employment tribunal.

They say their contracts were terminated after staff met with Mr. Arnold in an attempt to resolve grievances over working practices.

Mr. Chehayeb, 33, and Mr. Cheema, 43, say that despite having worked for the Arnold Group for more than three years, neither were given any notice or severance pay.

They claim they are each owed $10,000-$11,000 but have only received a few hundred dollars.

Now, three weeks later, they must fly back to Toronto and have even had to borrow money from their friends to pay for their airfares.

They say they feel “let down” by the Government and the Department of Labour and Training, in its failure to recover their final wages.

Mr. Chehayeb has now written to Minister of Labour and Immigration, Derrick Burgess, asking him to intervene in the dispute.

He was manager of Arnold’s Family Market in Pembroke until June 2, when he said he was fired after five years’ service.

In his letter Mr. Chehayeb says: “On Friday, June 8, I was told that Mr. Arnold wanted me to send him a letter stating what I thought I was owed for my last pay cheque.

“After discussing this with a Labour Relations officer regarding what I should be entitled to, we came up with the following — six weeks’ severance pay, one week’s wage for holiday pay and two days’ pay for the hours worked on my last week of employment, totalling $11,000.

“The next day I was told my final pay cheque was ready for me to pick up. After opening the envelope I felt nauseated and disoriented. The cheque was made out for $382.98.”

Mr. Chehayeb says he has contacted Labour Board Director Milton Scott on “numerous times” in an attempt to recover his wages.

“I feel very strongly in the fact that my unfair dismissal is the result of our complaint to the Labour and Training Department,” he writes.

“A complaint to the Ombudsman’s office regarding the way the Labour Board has handled this is to follow if something is not resolved in a timely manner.

“I feel my human rights have been violated as an employee in Bermuda. This is a tragic cause and effect of unfair treatment and business practices.

“The end of the month is coming up and I must move out of my place with many bills overdue and no funds to pay them with. This includes no funds for airfare to fly out of Bermuda.

“This is a very stressful and a frustrating situation and I would appreciate direct action at this point.”

Mr. Chehayeb told The Royal Gazette: “I’ve got to leave the country on Saturday because I have no income and no money to pay rent.

“If I had my final pay cheque this would have allowed me to stay. I have applied for a ‘Reside and Seek’ work visa but haven’t received anything yet, so it’s very frustrating.

“All I want is what was coming to me and what is fair under the law. I thought employers were responsible for repatriating workers from the Island, but I’ve had to borrow money from a friend to buy my own ticket home.”

Mr. Cheema said: “I’m in the same situation. I have to leave on Saturday because I don’t have any money to stay here. This is all really sad.”

The Canadian was assistant manager of Arnold’s Maximart in Somerset and worked for the Arnold Group for three years, three months before being allegedly fired on June 6.

“We feel let down by the Government,” he said. “They should have stepped in by now but no one is even telling Mr. Arnold to pay us what he owes us by law. They are not protecting our rights at all.”

A Government spokesman said: “We have no comment.”

Mr. Arnold did not return The Royal Gazette’s calls last night.

He denies firing Mr. Chehayeb and Mr. Cheema, claiming their work permits expired and he decided not to renew them.