Any attempt by employers to shift the liability to pay wages and other statutory labour benefits to the Protection of Wages & Insolvency Fund is deplorable, unethical and unreasonable, Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Matthew Cheung says, adding this must not be condoned.

Speaking to the media today, Mr Cheung said the Labour Department is concerned about the labour dispute at the Ocean Palace Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui and will monitor developments closely.

"If we uncover any evidence or suspicious circumstances on such matters as illegal transfer of assets or fraud, we will refer the matter to the Commercial Crime Bureau for follow-up investigation. We will relentlessly pursue any wrongdoing to the end," he said.

The Government will continue with its efforts to bring this case to a settlement, he added.

"We will continue to urge the employers of the Ocean Palace Restaurant to fulfill their statutory obligations and pay the wages and other entitlements to their employees. We will make every effort to ensure that the rights of the employees are duly protected."

Labour Department will help speed up applications

In the unfortunate event that the employees have to resort to the fund, the Labour Department will provide every assistance to speed up their applications so that they will get ex-gratia payments as soon as possible.

The case will be referred to the inter-departmental task force on the fund comprising the Police, the Labour Department and the Official Receiver's Office for thorough investigation.

The Labour Department has set up two hotlines, 2150 6397, to answer employees' enquiries on employment service, and 2928 6006, to answer questions about their rights and benefits.

Database has 2,800 catering vacancies

Special counters will be set up at the department's 10 Job Centres from next Monday to offer employment service to the affected employees.

It has 2,800 job vacancies in the catering sector in its database. The vacancies cover such positions as waiters, cooks and cleaners. Of these, 98% are full-time jobs, and the salaries offered range from $5,000 to $10,000.

"We are aware of the views expressed by the media and the community on how to prevent employers from shifting their liabilities to the fund. They are constructive suggestions. We keep an open mind and will carefully examine the feasibility of each and every proposal," Mr Cheung said.