Staff at cash-strapped broadcaster Asia Television claim they have not received August wages

Beleaguered broadcaster Asia Television is once again failing to pay staff on time, despite finding a new investor to pump money into the station.

This emerged after staff complained to the media and made enquiries to the Labour Department yesterday about not having been paid last month’s wages. Employees from the news department said last night that no staff had received their August salaries.

The news came after the free-to-air broadcaster’s executive director Ip Ka-po said in June that an agreement had been signed with an unnamed buyer to inject fresh capital. Ip said at the time that ATV would have a new chance of turning things around and “definitely salaries will no longer be a problem”.

Yesterday was the first time since that assurance that ATV was seven days late in paying wages, opening itself up to further sanctions by the Labour Department after it was fined for a series of such offences last year and early this year.

One employee suggested the latest delay might be due to the public holiday last Thursday to mark China’s victory over Japan.

“I am not that worried. Our wages will finally come. I’m not confident about the [reported] new investor, but I am confident about the laws of Hong Kong,” he said.

But another staff member was worried the company would enter a new cycle of breaking labour laws by repeatedly failing to pay wages on time.