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Employer fined for violating employees' compensation law
The Labour Department today (Monday) reminded employers to observe the provisions of the Employees' Compensation Ordinance (ECO) or they will face prosecution.
The reminder was made following a recent court case in Tsuen Wan Magistracy in which the owner of Jet Light Engineering Limited was fined $12,500 for dismissing an employee injured at work before the certificate of compensation assessment (Form 5) had been issued by the Commissioner for Labour.
Labour Officer (Prosecutions), Mr Raymond Ho, said: "Under Section 48 of the ECO, no employer should dismiss, or give notice to dismiss, an injured employee who is entitled to compensation under the ECO until the Commissioner for Labour has issued the certificate of compensation assessment (Form 5); or until the employer has entered into an agreement under the Ordinance to settle the claim directly; or until an ordinary assessment board or special assessment board has issued the certificate of assessment (Form 7 or Form 8), or the certificate of review of assessment (Form 9 or Form 10), whichever occurs first."
The maximum fine under this provision has been revised to $100,000 on July 1 after the Employees' Compensation (Amendment) Bill 1996 was approved by the Legislative Council on May 29.
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Third quarter rates due on July 31
Rates for the third quarter of this year are payable on or before July 31, a spokesman for the Rating and Valuation Department said today (Monday).
Payment can be made using autopay under ratepayers' bank accounts, or the Payment by Phone Service, or by post addressed to the Director of Accounting Services, PO Box 8000, GPO, Hong Kong, or in person at any of the following offices:
The Treasury Headquarters Collection and Payment Office, Immigration Tower, first floor, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong;
The Central Sub-Treasury, Central Government Offices (West Wing), 11 Ice House Street, Hong Kong;