“Arrests amid rage at prolonged no-pay leave”, 11 May 2020

Two women have been arrested in a protest at Fulum Palace's Mei Foo branch after staff were forced to go on no-pay leave for about three months.

… frontline and office staff… said they were forced to go on no-pay leave despite the restaurant chain planning to apply for the salary subsidy scheme.

Saying the company refused to fire them and give severance pay, they suspected they were being terminated before being put on unpaid leave, as the subsidy comes with the condition that workers cannot be laid off…

Fulum said on April 9 that it would arrange for work to resume in one to two weeks, but employees yesterday said they had still not been told to return to work…

Around 10 tactical unit officers arrived and guarded the entrance. The two women who were arrested for disorderly conduct in a public place were aged 22 and 25…

The Confederation Trade Unions, which supported the protest, said one of the two who were arrested was its officer, Lam Siu-mei, while the other was a citizen journalist. It accused the police of abuse of power and indiscriminate arrests.

A Fulum spokesman said it is arranging step by step work resumption.