The abrupt closure of a three-decade-old congee restaurant chain in Hong Kong has left around 20 imported workers from mainland China facing eviction from their dormitory and worried about being sent home without collecting unpaid wages.
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The mainland workers, who arrived in Hong Kong through the city’s supplementary labour scheme in May last year, were among more than 100 employees of Ocean Empire Food Shop who sought help from the Eating Establishment Employees General Union over unpaid wages of about HK$3 million.
They sought help on Thursday after Ocean Empire announced the previous evening that it had closed all of its seven outlets.
The Labour Department said it received requests for help from more than 80 workers claiming outstanding wages of more than HK$8 million.
A worker from Foshan in Guangdong province, who only gave her last name Qian, said the company had “heartlessly” forced them to immediately move out of their dormitory in Yau Ma Tei.
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“The door just shut suddenly with no sign at all [on Wednesday]. Upon checking my bank records, I found my wage in April had not been deposited,” she said.