Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Saturday urged former employees of the recently closed gym chain, Physical, to read their new contracts carefully, after a medical beauty company announced its interest in taking over the business.

Physical closed all its branches last month, and it was later renamed as Healthy. It was then rebranded as perFIT, after medical beauty company perFACE said it would like to provide remaining services for the gym chain’s members.

The company said it had been in touch with about 700 former employees of the gym chain and it was planning to hire about 200 of them.

Speaking to reporters after attending an event, Sun said about 770 workers requested help from the Labour Department, and authorities are currently assisting them in claiming their unpaid wages and severance payments.

"If the workers would like to sign contracts with a new employer, they have to pay attention to the terms, and ensure their rights won't be harmed. If there's a need, the Labour Department could provide assistance to the employees," he said.

Regarding complaints made by imported workers who claimed they were being exploited by construction companies, Sun said legal investigations are ongoing and that authorities would provide assistance to affected workers.

He added the rights and interests of imported workers must be protected, and they must receive equal treatment.