A Beijing court has issued a landmark ruling in favour of a former employee, ordering an engineering company to pay Rs 2.3 lakh as compensation for mandatory online training sessions held outside regular working hours. The case, reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), is seen as a major precedent for workplace rights in China.
Engineer Fights Back Over After-Hours Training and ‘Donation’ Policy
The employee, identified only as Wang, worked as an engineer from July 2020 until his termination in June 2023. He had demanded over 80,000 yuan (about Rs 9.6 lakh) in overtime pay, alleging that his employer routinely forced staff to attend online training via mobile apps after hours. Failure to attend, Wang claimed, would result in a so-called “voluntary donation” of 200 yuan (around Rs 2,400).
The company denied the allegations, arguing that the sessions didn’t require active participation and therefore did not count as overtime. They also claimed that overtime work required prior managerial approval and rejected any link between the donation policy and the training sessions.
Beijing Court Upholds Overtime Pay for Mandatory After-Hours Training
An initial arbitration authority dismissed Wang’s claim, prompting him to take the case to court. The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court ruled in his favour, determining that the sessions were scheduled after working hours and intruded upon Wang’s personal time. The court also found that the donation policy implied the sessions were effectively mandatory, undermining the company’s claim of voluntary participation.
The court concluded that since Wang had no option to refuse attendance, the training qualified as overtime work. As a result, the company was ordered to pay 19,000 yuan (about Rs 2.3 lakh) to Wang in compensation, reinforcing employee rights regarding off-hour obligations in China’s modern workplace.
Summary:
A Beijing court ruled in favour of an ex-employee, ordering a company to pay Rs 2.3 lakh for mandatory after-hours online training. The court found the sessions encroached on personal time and were not optional. This landmark case strengthens employee rights over off-hour work obligations in China’s modern workplaces.