Although every employee usually has grounds to sue their company in the case of unfair dismissal, a couple in China tried to take it to the next level by seeking legal action against their company after they were fired for flaunting their affair in the workplace.
According to a report from City Locale on August 28, the man, known as Liu, and the woman, identified as Chen, were both employed in the same department of a pharmaceutical company in Sichuan province, southwestern China.
Their affair came to light when Liuâs wife shared their chat records with the companyâs tennis chat group and the general manager in March 2020, leading to their subsequent termination.
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The records included messages such as âI love youâ and âI want to look at you all the time.â
After their affair was exposed, Liu asked for leave to âtake care of family issues,â while Chenâs husband confronted her and Liu in the presence of their colleagues.
Despite being exposed, the duo continued their affair and were spotted kissing while at work.
This prompted a female colleague to intervene, asking Chen to stop the behavior, which escalated into an argument. Seven colleagues then wrote a joint complaint letter to the general manager the next day, which led to the company firing Liu and Chen, saying they âwent off the rails and violated rules outlined in the employee handbook.â
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Both filed lawsuits against the company. Chen asked for compensation of 26,000 yuan (RM15,886), while Liu, who had a more senior position in the company, asked for more than 230,000 yuan (RM140,536).
The company defended its position by pointing out that the employee handbook clearly states that it has âthe right to break the labour relationship with employees who are morally corrupt, tarnish the companyâs reputation and have a negative influence on the company.â
In the report, it was stated that the courts supported the company and dismissed their lawsuits.
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Also read: China Kindergarten Principal Sues School After Getting Fired for Accepting Chocolate From Student
