The court ruled in favour of the company and dismissed the lawsuits.
Two employees in China were terminated from their jobs after they were caught having an extramarital affair and kissing each other openly at work. The employees have now filed a lawsuit against their former employer, alleging wrongful termination. According to the South China Morning Post, 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 relationship became public knowledge after Liu’s wife shared their chat records with the company’s chat group and management in March 2020.
The records included messages such as “I love you” and “I want to look at you all the time.” Following this, Liu requested leave to address personal matters, and Chen’s husband confronted the couple at the workplace. Despite warnings, the romantic relationship between Liu and Chen continued, and they were again seen kissing at work.
In October 2020, a coworker confronted Chen about the behaviour, leading to a disagreement. The incident prompted seven colleagues to submit a joint letter to the general manager, expressing concerns about the situation. As a result, the company terminated Liu and Chen’s employment, citing violations of the employee handbook and company rules.
Liu and Chen have each filed separate lawsuits against their former employer. Chen is seeking compensation of 26,000 yuan (approximately Rs 3 lakh), while Liu, who held a more senior position, is seeking over 230,000 yuan (approximately Rs 27 lakh) in damages.
The company defended its decision to terminate their employment, referencing its employee handbook, which permits termination for behaviour deemed unethical. The handbook clearly states it has ”the right to break the labour relationship with employees who are morally corrupt, tarnish the company’s reputation and have a negative influence on the company.”
The court ultimately ruled in favour of the company, dismissing the lawsuits filed by Liu and Chen.
On social media, the incident has generated widespread discussion, with many users criticising the employees’ behavior. One user wrote, ”Obviously they did not work hard enough if they had the energy to find colleagues attractive.’
Another commented, ”Shame on them to even sue the company.”
