Company’s director sentenced to imprisonment for default of wages and Labour Tribunal awarded payment

     The director of a limited company has been prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for failing to pay 18 employees wages and defaulting on a sum awarded by the Labour Tribunal (LT) to two employees under the Employment Ordinance (EO). The director pleaded guilty at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on August 9 and was sentenced to four weeks' immediate imprisonment today (August 23). The defendant was also ordered to pay an outstanding sum of about $396,000.

     Yiu Fung Logistics Company Limited failed to pay 18 employees wages totalling about $388,000 within seven days after the termination of employment in contravention of the EO. Also, the company failed to pay awarded sums of about $40,000 to two employees within 14 days after the specified payment date of the LT award. The director concerned was convicted for her consent, connivance or neglect in the above offences.

     "The judgment would disseminate a strong message to all employers and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay employees wages within the time limit in accordance with the EO and awarded sums according to the terms of awards issued by the LT or the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board," a spokesman for the LD said.

     "The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees' statutory rights," the spokesman added.