Collapsed retailer DSC owes 350 workers HK$10m
Labour and welfare chief urges founder of furniture and electrical firm DSC to 'take responsibility' and attend crisis meeting
Collapsed retailer DSC owes employees about HK$10 million in outstanding wages, severance pay and holidays, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung says.
Cheung again urged the retailer's boss and founder, Hui Ming-shun, and his senior management to take responsibility for the fiasco. They have been summoned to attend a Labour Department meeting today with employee representatives to "settle the whole problem".
"If the employers turn up, then it would be a lot better, because that would enable us to verify wage records and also make sure … they are unable to pay [the wages]," Cheung said yesterday. "He only needs to sign a statement and we can avoid further disputes."
Hui and his wife exited the city a day before the closure of the chain's 14 stores that left 900 employees jobless. At least 350 workers have lodged claims to the government.
Cheung said that if the employers did not turn up or wind up the company, the case would have to be referred to the Labour Tribunal. This would mean staff having to wait about 10 weeks before they could obtain ex-gratia payments from the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund.
Creditors who applied for the company to be wound up would also make it more convenient for workers to apply for wages from the fund earlier, Cheung said.