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Two directors of Victor Shining Limited, trading as Po Lum Seafood Restaurant, Ms Lo Siu-ying and Mr Air Ha Hing-lok, were fined a total of $90,000 at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (March 11) for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
The employer failed to pay wages to five employees within seven days of the expiry of the wage period and the termination of employment as required by the ordinance, a spokesman for the Labour Department said. The amount of wages involved was about $87,600. The employer was also ordered to clear the outstanding wages via the court.
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. Any employer who fails to do so wilfully and without reasonable excuse is liable to a maximum fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years.
In addition, Section 64B of the Employment Ordinance stipulates that where any wage payment offence committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, the director, manager, secretary or other similar officer shall be guilty of a like offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a maximum penalty of a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years.
The spokesman urged employees who are owed wages to immediately report to the department's complaint hotline on 2815 2200.
Ends/Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:44
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