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A catering company, 3333 Limited trading as Top Choice Seafood and Hotpot Restaurant, was fined $35,000 at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (April 13) for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
The employer failed to pay wages to six employees within seven days of the expiry of the wage period as required by the ordinance. The amount of wages involved was about $67,700.
According to Section 23 of the Employment Ordinance, wages due upon expiry of the last day of the wage period 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 from $200,000 to $350,000 and imprisonment increased from one to three years.
The spokesman urged employees who were owed wages to immediately report to the department's complaint hotline on 2815 2200.
Ends/Thursday, April 13, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:54
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