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The proprietor of a cleaning company was sentenced to a total of five months' imprisonment at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (December 19) for a wage offence and defaulting on payment of Labour Tribunal award offence under the Employment Ordinance. He was also ordered to clear the outstanding wages and tribunal-awarded sum to the employees concerned via the court.
The proprietor was also fined $2,000 for failing to take out an insurance policy for his employee under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
The Labour Department welcomes the court sentence. This is the fifth case this year in which an employer or a company's responsible person was sentenced to imprisonment due to wage offences or default of Labour Tribunal award offence.
The proprietor failed to pay wages to an employee within seven days after the termination of employment as required by the ordinance. The total amount of payment involved was about $1,300. The proprietor also failed to pay the awarded sum of about $5,000 to another employee within 14 days after the specified payment date of the Labour Tribunal award. Furthermore, the proprietor failed to secure an insurance policy for a third worker.
"The judgment sends a strong message to all employers that they have to ensure that wages are paid to employees in accordance with the Employment Ordinance and that an award is paid according to the terms of the award issued by the Labour Tribunal or the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board," a spokesman for the Labour Department said. "Moreover, the judgment also sends a clear message to all employers that they should take out employees' compensation insurance policies for their employees in accordance with the law.
"The Labour Department will not tolerate wage offences, defaulting on payment of Labour Tribunal award offences or failure to take out an insurance policy offences and will spare no effort in bringing to justice employers who defy the law," the spokesman added.
Ends/Friday, December 19, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:20
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