The Federation of Trade Unions received 922 requests for labour assistance involving 1,379 employment-rights issues in the first seven months of 2026, while the Hong Kong Catering Industry Employees General Union recorded 11 unpaid-wage cases affecting 30 workers and involving more than HK$2.05 million, according to figures released on August 28. The figures are tallies from the worker organisations, not government statistics.
The catering-sector cases involved unpaid sums ranging from HK$4,000 to HK$250,000 per case. All 11 required claims through the Labour Tribunal, according to the catering union. The reports did not identify the businesses involved or say whether the workers had ultimately recovered all the money.
One catering worker, identified as Mr Yip, said he had encountered unpaid wages after two restaurants closed within six months. A Hung Hom restaurant where he worked shut suddenly in late November 2025; he complained to the Labour Department the following day and said he received payment from the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund in early July 2026. The restaurant where he later found work also closed in early July, and that case was still in mediation at the time of the report, he said.
Mr Yip said using facial-recognition or fingerprint-based electronic clock-in systems without paper records could make it harder for employees to preserve evidence of their attendance. The Federation of Trade Unions’ wider caseload included 276 contract disputes, 151 disputes over notice periods or payment in lieu, 149 wage disputes, and 122 cases each involving long-service payments or severance and sickness-related payments.
Commercial services recorded the largest number of assistance cases, at 346, followed by catering with 162, construction with 86 and other personal services with 83. The two reports said labour disputes were mainly concentrated in the services, catering and construction sectors.
The Federation said the law provides for a maximum fine of HK$350,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment for deliberate wage defaults. It said 517 summonses resulting in convictions were issued between January and June, with courts generally imposing financial penalties of HK$1,000 to HK$10,000; 11 cases resulted in 80 hours of community service. The union called for tougher sentencing and greater personal liability for employers that deliberately withhold wages.
Federation chairman and Legislative Council member Lam Chun-sing urged action on punishment, enforcement and prevention, including proactive Labour Department assessments of businesses at risk of closure. The union also proposed simplifying and speeding up applications to the insolvency fund, covering unpaid Mandatory Provident Fund contributions, and promoting written contracts and the preservation of work records. The reports did not include a formal government response to the proposals.