Employment Photo: VCG

Shanghai Municipal People's Congress passed a decision on Thursday, banning employers from terminating contracts, or refusing to hire those who once suffered from infectious diseases. The decision was made after media reported that some people in Shanghai, who recovered from COVID-19, were left jobless and homeless in the city for more than a month. 

The decision also stipulates that courts, organizations that are in charge of solving labor disputes should deal with disputes involving COVID-19 in a timely manner and in accordance with the law.

Yan Zuqiang, an official from the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, said that recently, the requests from university graduates and people who lost jobs due to COVID-19 are piling up, there are also labor disputes, which prompted the government to step in. 

Earlier this month, media reported that those who recovered from COVID-19 were struggling to find a job in Shanghai, as they were rejected by some employers due to their history of infection. 

As the Chinese central government has been continuously reiterating equal treatment to the recovered patients and requiring local governments to avoid one-size-fits-all measures, more people in such situations have received help, found jobs or returned to their hometown recently.

In an effort to reduce such discrimination, Shanghai has curtailed record of checking nucleic acid test history to half a month, from a previous two months. Shanghai in total recorded more than 620,000 COVID-19 infections during the past wave of outbreak. 

Legislative Affairs Commission of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress said that Shanghai's employment market was severely challenged by COVID-19 this year. As a result, the financial hub's unemployment rate soared to 12.5 percent in the second quarter. So it is time now to roll out relevant solutions to the employment-related legal terms, and asked all parties of the society to assist in boosting employment.

The decision also issued supportive policies for employers that attracted a lot of employees, and helped college graduates to start up their own business, as well as seeking flexible employment. 

Global Times