Employer sentenced to community service for wage offences

     An employer was prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for failing to pay employee wages, as required by the Employment Ordinance (EO). The defendant pleaded guilty earlier at Eastern Magistrates' Courts and was sentenced to 40 hours' community service today (March 28).

     The employer failed to pay two employees' wages totalling about $200,000 within seven days after the termination of employment as required by the EO.

     "The judgment would disseminate a strong message to all employers and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay wages and termination payments to employees within the time limit stipulated in the EO," 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.