Magic Kiosk owner Joe Pace kept insisting with his employees till the very last day that there was no problem and assured them the kiosk would not close down.
Venting their anger and frustration at the way they were misled, the kiosk's employees said Mr Pace was refusing to sign their termination of employment form.
"We have not been paid three weeks wages due to us until January 8, our last day of work," the employees said.
"When I phoned Joe Pace to ask him why he refused to sign our termination forms, he told me he couldn't because he wanted to use us as a 'weapon' in court. He even told me to go and ask the government for a job," one of the irate employees said. Mr Pace denied having said these words. Contacted yesterday, he said he was seeking legal advice on the matter because he did not want to lay off people.
Technically, the employees are still on the company's books, despite the fact that the Magic Kiosk no longer exists. A temporary court order was issued on Monday to stop its demolition, which had been practically completed by the weekend, by the Land Department after the establishment's 30-year lease expired.
By Monday, there was very little left of the turquoise, aluminium structure. Mr Pace had been warned to clear the place by the government, however, employees insisted he refused to let go.
Still, yesterday, he said: "We had all the wages ready to be deposited. I have always paid my employees on time. But what do you do when at 5 a.m. bulldozers start destroying your place of work? I am going to my lawyer to seek legal advice".
When asked whether he was prepared to comment after consulting his lawyer, Mr Pace said his lawyer would be contacting The Times through a letter.
Asked why he kept his employees in the dark about the fate of the catering establishment, Mr Pace insisted there were about 20 other contracts like the Magic Kiosk's, which have expired and had their lease extended.
"All I am asking is to be treated in the same way," Mr Pace said.
But his words are of little consolation to the 10 full-time employees and equal number of part-timers who have to cope with bank loans and other family commitments. Most of the full-timers have been employed with the Magic Kiosk for 20 to 30 years. "We've been reading on the newspapers about the Magic Kiosk but each time we asked Joe Pace whether we should start looking for another job he always insisted there was no problem. He knew what was going to happen but always denied that the kiosk was going to be demolished," the employees insisted.
They feel ostracised by the media because more emphasis was put on the demolition works, the square's rehabilitation and the money that was returned to Mr Pace.
"We have families to feed and it is not exactly the right climate to find a job," they said.
The employees are still getting to grips with the situation. They praised the efforts by the Employment and Training Corporation to help them sort out the mess they are in.
"We found a lot of help from the ETC but in the meantime we expect to be given what we are due. Our bills and loan repayments arrive like everybody else's," they insisted.
Feeling let down by Mr Pace's behaviour after so many years of loyal service they said they are not interested in working for the man again.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com