Updated at 3.51pm: A cook who worked over 60 hours a week for former Financial Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was rewarded $40,000 in overtime pay on Friday.
Yu Yin-ping was entitled to $40,250 after Lambert Lee, presiding officer at the Labour Tribunal, ruled that he was owed 644 overtime hours during his 10-month stint as a head chef at Mr Tsang's official residence last year.
The Shanghai-born chef claimed he was owed $70,000 in overtime pay and that he worked far longer than the stipulated 44-hour week. He alleged he was unable to take days off when Mr Tsang, now the Chief Secretary for Administration, was out of town as he had to stay in while repair work was carried out.
The tribunal had heard Tam Chun-mei, housekeeper at the Wong Chuk Han residence, denied Mr Yu had been ordered to stay in to do any work other than keep a watch on the house and open the back door for entering repair men.
The presiding officer questioned the accuracy of Ms Tam's evidence and speculated that Mr Yu might have been assigned more tasks than to simply open doors during the repair work.
Although Mr Yu, who worked from 6.40am to 7.30pm from Monday to Saturday, was supposed to work 5.5 days a week as stated in his employee contract, his job was indeed a six-day week, Mr Lee said.