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A beauty parlour, C&B Consultant Limited, was fined $12,000 at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (June 12) for a wage offence under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
The employer failed to pay wages to an employee within seven days of the expiry of the wage period and the termination of employment. The amount of wages involved was about $8,600. In addition to paying the fine, the employer was 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 on termination of employment must 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.
The Labour Department urged employees who are owed wages to call its complaint hotline, 2815 2200, immediately.
Ends/Thursday, June 12, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:42
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