A Hong Kong court has fined a now-defunct bakery chain HK$251,800 (US$32,127) over unpaid wages and other entitlements exceeding HK$1.3 million.
A liquidator for Taipan Bread & Cakes, Taipan Restaurant and their parent company, Vast Luck, pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Court on Monday to 96 charges under the Employment Ordinance, after the group failed to pay 47 employees following the closure of all outlets on June 24 last year.
Asked when the parent company could settle the fines, the liquidator appeared surprised and said the chain had no means to do so.
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“The company would have no assets whatsoever in the foreseeable future,” he said, adding that he had no idea when the chain’s properties would be sold.
Deputy Magistrate Nicole Chun Shuk-kwan fined the three firms a total of HK$247,000 on 95 counts of withholding wages, payments in lieu of notice and annual leave payments.
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Vast Luck was separately fined HK$4,800 for breaching a Labour Tribunal order to pay HK$80,845.33 to a former worker.
The companies have between three and six months to pay the fines.