Hong Kong builder Paul Y accused of failing to pay HK$62 million in wages, costs for HKUST site

Construction union says it is helping about 60 workers over wage arrears dispute, with some labourers staging protest at project site

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About 30 workers staged a protest at the site of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology project, displaying a banner that read: “unpaid toil and sweat”. Photo: HKCIEGU

Published: 4:15pm, 14 Oct 2024Updated: 8:23pm, 14 Oct 2024

A Hong Kong construction union has accused the main contractor of a student hostel project of failing to pay HK$2 million (US$257,400) in wages and more than HK$60 million in subcontractor costs, saying the client had appointed another company to finish the work.

About 30 workers staged a protest at the site of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology project on Monday morning, displaying a banner that read: “unpaid toil and sweat”.

The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, which has been helping about 60 workers affected by the wage arrears dispute, said 12 subcontractors owed workers wages from August to September, amounting to around HK$2 million.

But union chairman Chau Sze-kit said the main contractor, Paul Y Construction, was behind the unpaid salaries.

He said subcontractors had already paid salaries from last November to April but had not been reimbursed by Paul Y. The 12 subcontractors were unable to pay the wages for the past two months, he added.

“The subcontractors have not yet received any repayment from Paul Y. As far as I know, Paul Y has some financial problems that made it unable to pay the construction fees,” Chau told the Post.