Hong Kong staff of King Parrot Group to seek help from authorities after closures
Company said to owe more than 100 staff members over HK$1 million after announcing nine restaurants had closed
Staff affected by the sudden closure of nine eateries operated by King Parrot Group, a 33-year-old restaurant chain in Hong Kong, will go to the Labour Department on Monday to file claims for unpaid wages and other entitlements amounting to more than HK$1 million (US$127,440), a union has said.
Labour sector lawmaker Aron Kwok Wai-keung said on Sunday that business owners facing hardship should plan ahead if they were at risk of closure to ensure employees received their wages, while also calling for enhancing the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund.
King Parrot, which ran more than 20 brands and over 30 themed restaurants at its peak, informed staff of its decision to close all nine outlets on Friday with immediate effect and paid outstanding wages on the spot, according to Nerine Yip Lau-ching, general secretary of the Hotels, Food and Beverage Employees Association.
“The employer only settled their outstanding wages for May and June without mentioning their other entitlements, such as one month’s pay in lieu of notice, the severance payment and their holiday pay,” she said.
“Over 100 employees, with a service length ranging from months to 15 years, have been seeking help from us. We estimate that they are owed over HK$1 million in unpaid wages. We call on the affected workers to come to us for assistance.”
Yip said staff members would go to the department on Monday to file the case over unpaid wages and called on the employer to sign a letter of incapacity to pay to help employees expedite their applications to the insolvency fund.