The century-old teahouse “Lian Heung House” on Wellington Street in Central and “Lian Heung House” in Tsuen Wan announced that they were closed due to the epidemic. Some employees claimed that they were owed 4 months of salary by their bosses. They were suspected of deliberately closing their jobs and “walking away” and sought help from the Labour Department. The Labour Department is concerned regarding the incident and has received help from some employees, and appeals to other affected employees to seek assistance as soon as possible. Some unions pointed out that they have contacted their employers and believe that the incident will be resolved as soon as possible.
Lianxiang Building locked the gate yesterday and was not open for business. A notice was posted outside the door, saying that the business was not doing well under the epidemic. See you once more. The affiliated Hong Kong Lianxiang Restaurant Group posted on social networking sites that both Lianxiang Lou and Lianxiang Inn are franchisees. The two stores officially closed on August 8, thanking diners for their years of support.
At 10:00 a.m. yesterday, all employees of Lin Heung Building in Central went to the Labour Department for help following picking up personal belongings in the store. The Federation of Catering Trade Unions, which assists the workers, said that there are currently 20 people seeking help, involving various types of work. Some of them have been delayed for several months. Together with severance pay, it is estimated that the amount is 1.5 million to 2 million. It is believed that there are still other employees who are owed wages. The union pointed out that the employees were informed of the closure of the restaurant through social platforms in the early morning.
The Labour Department stated that it is concerned regarding the incident and has received help from some employees. It appeals to other affected employees to seek assistance at the nearest branch office of the Labour Relations Division as soon as possible. The Labour Department also said that it is contacting employers and asking them to pay employees’ back wages and other termination compensation in accordance with the Employment Ordinance. Funds apply for ex gratia payments.
Liang Tianzhu, a member of the Catering Trade Unions Union, also attended the meeting. He revealed that he had contacted the employer and pointed out that the person in charge of Lianxiang Building was a legitimate businessman, and the employer would solve it, but he did not disclose the number of affected employees and the total amount of owed wages. He also pointed out that the discussions between the employers and employees should be held in a calm atmosphere.
Lianxianglou opened in Guangzhou in 1889. It was originally called “Lianxianglou”. Later, because of the excellent production of lotus seed paste, it was deeply admired by Chen Ruyue, who was a Hanlin bachelor at the time, and was renamed “Lianxianglou”. It opened in Hong Kong in 1918, moved to Wellington Street in 1996, and has always retained the operation and design of the traditional teahouse. In 2019, it was temporarily closed due to the expiration of the lease. Later, several old employees and the descendants of the owner of Lianxiang Building successively took over the operation in a franchise mode.
Originally published on AM730 https://www.am730.com.hk/local/Lianxianglou lost to the epidemic and closed – regarding 20 employees owed wages involving 2 million yuan/332852?utm_source=yahoorss&utm_medium=referral
