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Oriental Garment Limited and Creation Garment Limited were fined a total of $20,500 at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (May 11) for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
The employers failed to pay wages to two employees within seven days of the expiry of the wage period and the termination of employment. The amount of wages involved was about $6,000.
According to Section 23 and 25 of the Employment Ordinance, wages due upon expiry of the last day of the wage period or upon termination of employment shall be paid as soon as practicable, but not later than seven days.
A spokesman for the Labour Department stressed that the maximum penalty for wage offences had been raised from March 30 this year - the fine going up from $200,000 to $350,000 and imprisonment from one year to three years.
The spokesman urged employees who were owed wages to call to the department's complaints hotline on 2815 2200 immediately.
Ends/Thursday, May 11, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:21
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