TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Troubled panel maker Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. (CPT, 中華映管) only paid its foreign staff 40 percent of their wages for August and Taiwanese staff between 10 and 55 percent, its parent company, the Tatung Group, said Thursday (September 12).

Last month, CPT announced it would lay off all of its 2,100 employees, most of them at plants in Taoyuan City, casting doubt on whether the ailing company had any future.

Tatung said that due to a shortage of money it was paying only part of the wages for August on Thursday, the Central News Agency reported. Taiwanese staff making up to NT$50,000 (US$1,600) a month would receive 55 percent of their salary, those up to NT$70,000 would get 15 percent, and staff making more than NT$70,000 a month would receive 10 percent.

CPT said it had appointed a professional adviser to take the company through the current procedure and promised it would pay the salaries, pensions and other funds due to its staff.

Banks and creditors would be asked to form a supervisory committee to oversee developments at the company, according to CNA.

The Taoyuan City Department of Labor Affairs said it had sent a delegation to CPT to investigate the salary situation, while pointing out that violations of the Labor Standards Act could result in fines ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$1 million.

Employees had the right to terminate their contract with the employer and request a document proving they had not left voluntarily, Taoyuan City said.