Parents sacked during China’s one-child policy petition Beijing for their jobs back

Thirty-two former employees of government affiliated institutions in nine provinces who were sacked for having a second child are petitioning the State Council to grant their jobs back.

The group – mostly teachers – sent a jointly-signed letter by courier to the council yesterday, asking it to revoke the punishment in the light of the two-child policy.

The policy, which came into effect this year, is an attempt by Beijing to cope with an ageing population and shrinking workforce.

Previously, under the one-child policy that had been in effect since the 1970s, couples who had more than one offspring faced fines and forced abortions while civil servants faced losing their jobs.

The petitioners appealed to “the nation to re-examine our contribution in alleviating the pressure of an ageing population and to revoke the decision to take away our jobs as public institution employees”.

READ MORE: Five things you need to know about China’s one-child policy

The petitioners come from Shandong , Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Henan provinces.