July 9, 2023
By Jamie
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A manufacturing company in China is making headlines worldwide after it fired an employee for not being able to finish a 5-kilometre run in under 30 minutes during the hot weather.
The dismissed employee then filed a lawsuit against the company for wrongful termination and won the case.
According to Chinese media on Weibo, the man, known as Liu lives in Suzhou City and filed a CNY10,500 or approximately RM6,790 lawsuit against his former employer. However, he was ultimately awarded CNY6,700 or ~RM4,333 after a judge found the company guilty of wrongful termination.
During the trial, it was revealed that Liu was informed by a company executive days after he was hired in June 2022 that he would have to participate in a distance-running test.
His colleagues then assured him that the test was not a joke and that he will lose his job should he not be able to finish the run in under 30 minutes.
Liu added that he didn’t have time to train prior to the run, with the run itself taking place during a hot humid day in Suzhou City at 25 degrees Celsius.
He was only able to run about one kilometre before experiencing heatstroke-like symptoms and gave up.
Afterwards, he simply went back to work as usual but the next day, Liu was notified by his employer that he had failed his probation period.
During the trial, which took place at the Suzhou Intermediate Court, the judge found that the company’s termination of Liu on these grounds was illegal. Hence, Liu was awarded the aforementioned compensation.
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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