A Chinese worker fired for walking sixteen thousand steps while on sick leave won compensation after a court ruled the dismissal was illegal.

A case from Jiangsu province has stirred a fresh storm over employee rights in China after a man was dismissed for allegedly faking a foot injury while on sick leave.

The Ministry of Justice revisited the 2019 incident in a post shared on its official social media account on October 29, according to a report by South China Morning Post. The renewed attention has prompted widespread debate across Chinese social platforms about employer obligations and the boundaries of worker surveillance.

Background to the dispute

The employee, identified by his surname Chen, worked for a company in Jiangsu. In February and March of 2019, he applied twice for sick leave due to a back strain he said he sustained at work. He supported both applications with hospital diagnoses and was granted time off. After resting for about a month, Chen returned to work only to apply once more for leave after half a day, this time citing pain in his right foot. A doctor’s note advised him to rest for a week, and a subsequent hospital visit confirmed that he had developed a heel spur. (Hindustan Times)