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A director of Modern Warehouse Limited was today (November 4) fined $30,000 at Fanling Magistrates' Courts for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
The director failed to pay wages to an employee within seven days of the expiry of the wage period and the termination of employment as required by the ordinance. The director was ordered to clear the outstanding wages via the court.
According to Sections 23 and 25 of the Employment Ordinance, wages due upon expiry of the last day of the wage period or upon 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.
Section 64B of the ordinance stipulates that where any wage 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. The maximum penalty for the said offence is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years.
A spokesman for the Labour Department said company directors had a personal responsibility to ensure that wages were paid to employees in accordance with the Employment Ordinance. The Labour Department does not tolerate wage offences and will prosecute directors and employers who defy the law.
Employees who are owed wages should immediately report to the Labour Department's complaint hotline on 2815 2200.
Ends/Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:37
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