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The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) today (August 10) pursued five claims in the Small Claims Tribunal for some $150,000 on behalf of 16 employees, who were owed MPF contributions by their employers.
At today's hearing, defendant, Wong Ka Kee trading as C & K Engineering Co., did not dispute the amount claimed. The Adjudicator ordered it to pay the MPFA the sum of $28,403.02, being mandatory contributions in arrears and surcharges payable.
The other four defendants - Friendfield Label Manufacturing Limited, Ocean Channel Engineering Transportation Company Limited, Wise Sky International Holdings Limited trading as Sunbeam Education Centre and Lam Kwok Chi trading as Lam Chi Kee Water Electric Engineering Company - did not appear at today's hearing. In their absence, the Adjudicator ordered them to pay the MPFA the sums of $49,956.94, $43,748.4, $29,079.34 and $7,400, being mandatory contributions in arrears and surcharges payable.
The amounts awarded will be reimbursed to the employees' MPF accounts as soon as they are received by the MPFA. The court further awarded payments of $180, $160, $260, $450 and $120 as the costs in respect of the claims.
Friendfield Label Manufacturing Limited pleaded guilty at Kwun Tong Magistracy earlier to 11 counts of failing to make MPF contributions on time and was fined $16,000.
Ends/Thursday, August 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:00
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