NEYMAR’S former private chef is suing the football superstar after allegedly being forced to work gruelling 16-hour shifts at his mansion.
The woman, who has not been identified, claims to have developed back problems and inflammation of the hips after several months working non-stop, knackering shifts.
Her contract allegedly stipulated that she work around 10 hours a day – 7am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 7am to 4pm on Fridays – but the lawsuit claims those hours were routinely ignored.
The chef says she ended up working punishing days far beyond what was agreed, often clocking over 14 hours.
She also claims she would sometimes have to stay until midnight to prepare meals for up to 150 people for the athlete and his friends.
The lawsuit, filed in Brazil’s labour courts, says the chef worked at the Santos star’s sprawling mansion in Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, from July last year until February this year.
According to the claim, she was hired through a third-party company to cook at Neymar’s main residence, known as Casa Hotel Portobello, as well as at the neighbouring Condomínio Portobello complex.
The disgruntled chef says she was made to perform intensely strenuous activities, including carrying pieces of meat weighing an average of 10 kilos.
Her day-to-day also required her to constantly monitor refrigerators, load and unload supermarket purchases, with a large number of heavy bags, and remain standing for long periods.
She claims the heavy lifting left her with back and hip injuries, forcing her to seek medical tests and consultations.
As part of the case, she is asking the footballer to cover medical costs and pay alimony.
Although her registered salary was around £566 (R$4,000) a month, she says overtime and bonuses meant she typically earned about £1062 (R$7,500).
The lawsuit also claims she was made to work weekends, particularly Sundays, despite being hired only for weekday shifts.
It also alleged that she did not regularly get a lunch break, and remained working against the terms of her contract.
Brazilian labour law requires workers doing shifts longer than six hours to receive at least a one-hour break for meals or rest.
In total, the chef is demanding £370,000 (R$262,000) from Neymar and the outsourcing company that hired her.
The claim covers severance pay, FGTS contributions, overtime, missed breaks, moral damages, medical expenses and alimony.
Neymar’s representatives declined to comment when approached.
The Brazilian forward owns two luxury mansions in Mangaratiba.
One of them, valued at around £4million (R$28 million), spans 5,000 square metres and boasts six suites, a swimming pool, a leisure area and an additional wing with 10 suites for guests.
It was in this property that the chef says she worked.
His other home in the Aero Rural condominium previously hit headlines after authorities investigated an artificial lake built on the land.
The footballer was fined R$16 million by the local environmental secretariat, but the penalty was later suspended and he was eventually cleared in the case.
