Staff protection: A Labour inspector briefs a restaurant employee about his rights and benefits under the Employment Ordinance.

The Labour Department has adjusted its enforcement strategies and stepped up inspection of restaurants to clamp down on employers defaulting on wage payments.

In the first eight months of this year, Labour Inspectors inspected a2,637 catering establishments, including 852 restaurants.

This is a preventive measure to remind employers that wage offences are not tolerated and the government will spare no effort in combating the crime, Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Matthew Cheung said.  

During inspection, Labour inspectors will not only ask about arrears of wages, they will, when necessary, ask the employers about the establishment's finances to get more information about, for example, whether they are able to clear wages, and whether they are facing difficulties in running the business.

In the first eight months of this year, the department had secured 86 convictions against wage offences in catering establishments, up 115% over 40 in the same period last year, he said.

Mr Cheung urged employees being owed wages to uphold their own rights and report to the department through the department's wage offence complaint telephone hotline, 2815 2200.