Wellfield Engineering says it will go bankrupt as it cannot pay wages
Sub-contractor of huge residential project says it cannot pay wages and will file for bankruptcy
A strike-hit construction subcontractor said it would declare bankruptcy as it could not pay its workers the wages it owed them, according to a construction union representative.
Wellfield Engineering owes back-pay to the 150 workers it employed for the third phase of the Lohas Park Phase 3 residential development in Tseung Kwan O. The workers said Wellfield had not paid them since September and the company owed them about HK$6 million.
About 40 of the 150 workers walked off their jobs for the fourth day yesterday, and protested outside the site. "The company owes me HK$50,000. I need the money to pay for my two children's schooling. I also need the money for my mother who is paralysed and needs special care," said one worker.
The workers said that Wellfield had always been reluctant to pay them and they had organised strikes almost every month this year. But in the past the subcontractor had always backed down by the end of the first day of the strike, the protestors said.
Six workers became so emotional yesterday that they climbed on top of a four-metre shelter. One of them threatened to jump off. "Where is justice? We have worked so hard, but we are not getting paid for our hard work. Who is there to help us, the underprivileged, when we need help?" asked one protester.
They said the main contractor was Lanon Development, which hired Wellfield to find workers for the Lohas Park project. This complex subcontracting system was common, so contractors could limit their responsibility when disputes arose, workers said.
Representatives of Wellfield, Lanon, and the Labour Department met protestors yesterday.