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Phantaxia Entertainment Limited and Leung Tak-sing were today (August 3) fined for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
Eastern Magistrates' Court was told that Phantaxia Entertainment Limited failed to pay wages to three employees within seven days of the expiry of the wage period and the termination of employment. The employer was fined $18,000. In addition to paying the fines, the employer was ordered to clear the outstanding wages via court.
Leung Tak-sing, an employer running an interior renovation company, failed to pay wages to two employees within seven days of the expiry of the wage period as required by the ordinance and was fined $24,000 in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court.
According to Section 23 and 25 of the Employment Ordinance, wages due upon expiry of the last day of the wage period or upon termination of employment shall 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 were owed wages to call its complaint hotline, 2815 2200 immediately.
Ends/Friday, August 3, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:32
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