Chinese street cleaner sacked for warming himself by a fire in snow given job back
His employer in Shaanxi province admits the decision, amid the harsh winter, lacked humanity and was ‘inappropriate’
A street cleaner sacked after his employer spotted him huddled around a fire in a bid to keep warm on a snowy day has won his job back after the company admitted the “inappropriate” move lacked “humanity”.
Relenting to public pressure after the news became an online talking point, the cleaning company in the northern province of Shaanxi in China reinstated 59-year-old Ding Quan.
The plight of street cleaners, who receive low wages and often wake up at 4am to clean the streets even in harsh weather, has become a talking point after the news was circulated online.
Ding Quan told the news website Hsw.cn that after three hours of cleaning he was huddling around a fire with a group of people on the street at about 9am on Thursday to dry his gloves and coat when his supervisor got out of a car and took his picture with a mobile phone.
The man then ordered Ding to put the fire out, the report said.
He was later told on Friday afternoon that after discussions by the management he had been fired.
The company, Xian Golden Medal, said in a statement that the cleaner was sacked because he breached the firm’s regulations to warm himself by a fire, which it alleges poses a security risk, and also broke local anti-smog regulations.