China plans to ban new cars from being resold within six months after registration
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Employer forced engineer to attend off-shift online training sessions; he sued for overtime pay and won
In a striking win for employee rights , a Beijing-based engineer has secured a court-ordered compensation of 19,000 yuan (approximately US$2,600) from his former employer for being compelled to attend mandatory online training sessions after regular working hours — a case now hailed as a 'landmark' in China's evolving labour rights landscape. This unusual clash over what qualifies as overtime in the age of remote work and digital communication was first reported by Workers' Daily on July 17 and has since drawn nationwide attention, sparking conversations about employee autonomy in an always-connected world. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics Design Thinking Product Management Management Operations Management Degree healthcare CXO Others Digital Marketing MCA Project Management Cybersecurity Data Science Leadership Finance Healthcare PGDM Data Science MBA Technology Public Policy others Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Training After Hours? Or Hidden Overtime? According to South China Morning Post, the man, identified only as Wang, had been employed as an engineer at a Beijing-based engineering firm from July 2020 until June 2023. His gripe wasn't about workload during office hours — it was about what happened after. According to Wang, his employer required him to participate in frequent online training sessions using platforms like DingTalk and WeChat, all outside his official shift. Refusing to attend came at a peculiar price: a 'voluntary donation' of 200 yuan (about US$28). Wang wasn't buying it. He filed for arbitration, seeking over 80,000 yuan (US$11,000) in unpaid overtime. However, when the labour authority failed to support his claim, he took the battle to court. Employer's Defence: Log In, Zone Out? In its defence, the company argued that these post-shift sessions didn't constitute overtime since there was no active work involved. Logging in, they claimed, was merely symbolic — employees weren't required to speak or even pay attention. As such, they contended, no actual labour occurred, and therefore no compensation was warranted. You Might Also Like: Female MNC employee wanted work-life balance; got fired for refusing to work overtime They also denied any connection between the training sessions and the 200-yuan donation, suggesting that the two were unrelated policies. Court Calls Out 'Encroachment of Personal Time' The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court disagreed. It held that the very requirement of logging into a scheduled session during personal time was itself an intrusion, regardless of whether verbal participation or listening was enforced. Most crucially, the court observed that the presence of a punitive 'donation' policy suggested the sessions were effectively compulsory. 'These activities occurred after working hours, with the employee lacking the option to decline participation. Therefore, they should be classified as overtime,' the court ruled. However, it also acknowledged inconsistencies in Wang's login times and awarded him a partial sum — 19,000 yuan instead of the 80,000 he had originally sought. You Might Also Like: IIT professor has ingenius idea to make corporate leaders champions of work-life balance overnight Digital Boundaries and Labour Laws Government-affiliated news portal lauded the court's verdict, describing it as carrying 'landmark significance.' An editorial published by the platform sharply noted the creeping intrusion of work into personal time through digital tools, calling such expectations 'hidden overtime.' 'With the evolution of communication tools, the encroachment of work into employees' personal lives is increasingly prevalent,' the editorial stated. 'Even when not physically present in the office or officially off duty, a message on a mobile device can pull them back into work.' The case underscores an increasingly urgent global dilemma: where should the boundary lie between personal time and professional obligation in an era where the office is just a screen away?
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Chinese man wins $2,600 compensation after employer forced him into after-hours online sessions
A man in Beijing has successfully won a lawsuit against his former employer over unpaid overtime, after the company required him to repeatedly attend online training sessions outside working hours, according to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP). A Chinese court ruled in favour of an employee, ordering his firm to pay overtime for mandatory after-hours online training sessions.(Representational image/Unsplash) (Also read: Chinese man spends $600,000 on hair salon detox treatments, suffers severe health issues and denied refund) Engineer fired after three years demands overtime pay The man, referred to as Wang, joined an engineering company in Beijing in July 2020 and worked there until his termination in June 2023. Although the report does not disclose his salary, Wang claimed that he was routinely made to attend after-hours training through platforms such as Ding Ding and WeChat. Wang initially filed for arbitration, demanding over 80,000 yuan (US$11,000) in overtime compensation. He submitted screenshots of the training sessions and chat logs with colleagues as supporting evidence. According to Wang, employees who failed to attend these sessions were expected to make a 'voluntary donation' of 200 yuan (US$28), a practice he argued was coercive and implied the mandatory nature of the training. Company denies overtime responsibility The engineering firm rejected Wang's claims, stating that these online sessions did not constitute overtime work. They insisted that any overtime had to be pre-approved by management. The company further argued that employees were only required to log into the sessions, without needing to engage or even listen, and thus it could not be proven that any actual work had taken place. Additionally, they maintained that the donation policy was unrelated to these training activities. The arbitration authority initially dismissed Wang's claim, prompting him to escalate the matter to the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court. Court rules in favour of employee As per SCMP, the court found that the employer did in fact arrange these training sessions after regular working hours, and Wang was required to participate. It emphasised that even passive participation infringed upon the employee's personal time, and that the threat of a donation confirmed it was a compulsory task. 'These activities occurred after working hours, with the employee lacking the option to decline participation. Therefore, they should be classified as overtime,' the court concluded. However, the court also noted that on several occasions, Wang joined the sessions later than their scheduled start times. In the final verdict, the court ordered the company to pay Wang 19,000 yuan (US$2,600) in overtime compensation, significantly less than what he originally sought.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
India may ease stance on Chinese investment in electronics manufacturing sector
NEW DELHI: India is expected to maintain a flexible approach toward Chinese investment in the electronics manufacturing sector, according to government sources. As per the official, India cannot afford to completely disengage from China as the country accounts for 60% of global electronics manufacturing capacity. He emphasized the necessity of collaboration with China for India's growth in the sector. "We want to grow our manufacturing capacity. So, some sort of collaboration with China is something we can't avoid. Therefore, we have to be strategic about what we do, and how we do it. But it has to be done," said the official. After years of limiting Chinese investments in India, the government is now gradually opening up its market to Chinese companies. Following the Galwan clash in 2020, India took a hard stance on China and its companies operating in the country. It banned over 200 Chinese apps, including popular platforms like TikTok, WeChat, and UC Browser, citing security and privacy concerns. Additionally, firms like Huawei and ZTE were excluded from participating in India's 5G rollout. Investments from Chinese companies have since required security clearance due to national security and data protection concerns. However, India has recently shown signs of easing these restrictions. Reports suggest that China has been unwilling to share technology, and that 300 Chinese employees were withdrawn from Foxconn, which could disrupt Apple iPhone production in India. In response, the Electronics Association has urged the government to implement swift policy measures, warning that continued unofficial restrictions could derail India's $32 billion export-driven electronics manufacturing goals. On Thursday, India began processing tourist visas for Chinese nationals for the first time in five years. While visa issuance had originally been suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions continued because of tensions along the eastern Ladakh border.
