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Keogh Engineering Limited was today (January 5) fined $26,000 in total at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts for committing wage and holiday pay offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecution was taken out by the Labour Department.
The employer failed to pay wages to two employees within seven days after the expiry of the wage periods as required by the Employment Ordinance.
The employer also failed to pay holiday pay in respect of Labour Day, Tuen Ng Festival and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day to one of the employees within the statutory time limit in accordance with the Employment Ordinance.
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 in any case not later than seven days thereafter. Any employer who fails to do so wilfully and without reasonable excuse is liable to a maximum fine of $350,000 and to imprisonment for three years.
According to Section 40 of the Employment Ordinance, an employee who has been employed by his employer under a continuous contract for a period of three months immediately preceding a statutory holiday is entitled to holiday pay. Holiday pay should be paid to the employee not later than the day on which he is next paid his wages after that statutory holiday. Any employer who fails to comply with the above statutory requirement is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 for each offence.
Employees who are owed wages or holiday pay should immediately call the Labour Department's complaint hotline on 2815 2200.
Ends/Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:07
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