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Tao Kee Engineering Company Limited was fined $35,000 and Fortune Hong Kong Investment Limited trading as Golden Restaurant fined $12,000 in Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts today (August 17) for wage and holiday pay offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
Tao Kee Engineering Company Limited failed to pay wages to an employee within seven days of the expiry of the wage period. The employer also failed to grant the holiday pay of Christmas Day, first day of January, the day immediately preceding the Lunar New Year, the second day of Lunar New Year and the third day of Lunar New Year to another employee in accordance with the ordinance.
Fortune Hong Kong Investment Limited failed to grant the holiday pay of the day immediately preceding the Lunar New Year, the second day of Lunar New Year, the third day of Lunar New Year and the Ching Ming Festival to two employees.
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 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 40 of the Employment Ordinance says an employee having been employed under a continuous contract for not less than three months immediately preceding a statutory holiday is entitled to the 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 do so is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000.
The Labour Department urged employees who were owed wages to call its complaint hotline, 2815 2200 immediately.
Ends/Friday, August 17, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:10
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