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Chinese company fined US$7,560 after forcing newly pregnant staff to work overnight shifts and firing her for falling asleep

  • An intermediate court in Guangdong said the company was unreasonable for firing the woman
  • She said she had not been consulted about the move to the overnight shift

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A woman in China won an arbitration case after she was fired for dozing off during an overnight shift. Photo: Handout

A court in southern China ordered a company that fired a pregnant staff for dozing off during overnight shifts to pay her 48,146 yuan (US$7,560) for unlawful dismissal.

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The woman, identified only as Xiaoyi, was fired by the managers in June 2019 because they said she had violated the company rules by dozing off four times during the overnight shift, according to news portal btime.com.

The company’s name was not disclosed by the Intermediate People’s Court in Zhuhai, in southern China’s Guangdong province, which heard the case.

Xiaoyi had worked at the company for seven years, and they refused to give her any compensation when they fired her, the report said.
A Chinese court said it was unreasonable to fire the woman for dozing off when there were few cars entering the car park. Photo: Weibo
A Chinese court said it was unreasonable to fire the woman for dozing off when there were few cars entering the car park. Photo: Weibo

In April 2019, the company moved her to the overnight shift collecting fees in the car park. The company said that, during four days in June, Xiaoyi took naps lasting 6, 8, 28 and 6 minutes respectively, and these happened between 4am and 5am.

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The woman said she was not consulted about the move to the overnight shift, and they had not asked about her physical condition.

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