A Kiss Too Far: Chinese Married Couple Fired For Kissing At Workplace Sues Firm, Loses Court Battle
Liu and Chen, who were fired for their workplace affair, sued for compensation, claiming their dismissal was unjust but the court ruled against them. (Image: Unsplash)
The coworkers, engaged in an extramarital affair, created issues for other employees with their PDA at the workplace.
Two Chinese workers were fired from their jobs after they were caught kissing each other openly at work. The couple, according to the South China Morning Post, were also engaged in an extramarital affair.
The workers have sued the organisation alleging wrongful termination. The workers, Liu and Chen, were both employed in the same department of a pharmaceutical company in southwestern China’s Sichuan province.
Their relationship was exposed when Liu’s wife revealed their chat records to the company’s group chat and management in March 2020.
The records included messages such as “I love you” and “I want to look at you all the time.”
Later, Chen’s husband also confronted the couple at the workplace. Liu also requested leaves to address personal matters.
Liu and Chen’s romantic relationship persisted, and they were once again spotted kissing at work, ignoring previous warnings.
When a coworker confronted Chen about their behaviour in October of 2020 it led to a disagreement.
This led seven colleagues to submit a joint letter to the general manager expressing concerns. The company acted by terminating Liu and Chen’s employment for violating the employee handbook and company rules.
Liu and Chen have each filed separate lawsuits against their former employer. Chen is seeking 26,000 yuan (about ₹3 lakh) in compensation, while Liu, in a more senior role, is demanding over 230,000 yuan (about ₹27 lakh) in damages.
The company defended its decision to terminate Liu and Chen, citing its employee handbook, which allows for termination due to unethical behavior. The handbook specifies that the company has “the right to end the employment relationship with employees who are morally corrupt, damage the company’s reputation, and have a negative impact on the company.”
In the end, the court sided with the company and dismissed Liu and Chen’s lawsuits.
