China’s work culture and demanding bosses challenged by two labour disputes, sparking huge internet discussion about workers’ rights
- Recently, a man was sacked for visiting his dying father, and a woman dismissed for not practising a dance for an annual party after work hours
- These cases have sparked a massive online debate about working conditions in China
A man sacked for attending his father’s funeral and a woman dismissed after she refused to stay late at work to practise dancing for the company’s annual party are at the centre of two labour disputes that have challenged China’s grind-it-out work culture.
The disputes have sparked fierce criticism online from workers protesting gruelling demands of Chinese bosses that make them feel like slaves; forced to do what they say or suffer the consequences.
On Sunday, the Shandong Higher People’s Court, released details of a dispute in which a Shanghai-based security employee, Lu Yunsheng, had asked for leave to visit his sick father in January last year.
Despite having his request refused, Lu went anyway. While there, his father passed away and Lu stayed on for the funeral, the court’s public WeChat account revealed. Lu returned to work but was sacked a few weeks later for “skipping work without a valid reason”.
A local labour dispute arbitrator ruled the company had dismissed Lu illegally and that he should be financially compensated. The company retaliated by suing Lu twice, losing both times.