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Fore Leader Limited trading as Luxuriant Seafood Restaurant was fined $42,000 at the Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (June 9) for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
The employer failed to pay wages to two employees within seven days of the expiry of the wage period. The amount of wages involved was about $26,000.
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 up from $200,000 to $350,000 and imprisonment from one year to three years.
The spokesman urged employees who were owed wages to report immediately to the department's complaints hotline on 2815 2200.
Ends/Friday, June 9, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:26
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