Cinema chain denies union link over sackings
The sacking of four employees was not connected to their union membership, the UA Cinema Circuit told the Labour Tribunal yesterday.
The multiplex cinema chain operator was challenging a decision by the tribunal to award the sacked quartet more than $270,000 compensation, having ruled they were unfairly dismissed.
The four, who lost their jobs in March last year, are believed to be the first workers to win such a case since a labour law was passed in June 1997 making it illegal to punish workers for joining a union.
Yesterday, the cinema group put forward its arguments for a retrial before presiding officer Anthony Kwok.
It said documents produced by a union official showed the workers only joined the then Entertainment & Personal Services Workers General Union during a conciliatory meeting at the Labour Department over double pay on February 16, 1998.
Theatre manager Carol Fan Siu-ping, who assumed control at UA Whampoa in September 1997, told the tribunal she had recommended the sackings six days before that meeting.
The four were given poor ratings in their yearly performance appraisals, scoring one to 1.5 marks out of 10, and had failed to show an improvement.
Another witness, Law Fung-ting, who joined the cinema as its assistant manager in December 1997, said the workers were warned on several occasions for being late for work repeatedly.
'We can't accept such poor attendance records which show they have failed to fulfil their employment terms accordingly and affect the theatre's day-to-day operations,' she said.
They were also warned for not following the guidelines in saying 'welcome' and 'thank you' to patrons.
The workers said they were not aware of any performance appraisals, except for 1996.
They denied having received warnings from the management over their behaviour.
Mr Kwok adjourned the case until May 5.
