On orange paper, it was written that the manufacturer was directly recruiting male and female workers. Among the specific requirements, there was a "special emphasis" which required recruits to be "over 1.55 meters in height and in good health. Disabled individuals, those with tattoos, and left-handed people will not be hired."
Although factories need a large number of general laborers, because of his disability, Old Wu had no choice but to leave.
Mr. Wu from Jingzhou, Hubei, encountered such an experience due to being disabled and being turned away. On the morning of September 26, when he went to No. 19 Dachong Electronics Co., Ltd. on Chashang Industrial Avenue in Sangyuan, Dongcheng, to look for work, a recruitment notice posted at the factory's entrance clearly stated that disabled individuals would not be hired, and also rejected applicants under 1.55 meters in height, those with tattoos, and left-handed individuals.
In response to this controversial notice from Dachong Electronics Co., Ltd., a responsible person surnamed Fu in the company's personnel department explicitly replied that this was done to enhance the company's image. A lawyer indicated that the company's actions clearly involved employment discrimination.
By reporter Zhou Weihan
The recruitment notice openly refused to hire disabled individuals.
Mr. Wu is 44 years old and hails from Jingzhou, Hubei. As a child, an accident caused him to become disabled in his left foot, after which he got fitted with a prosthetic limb. On August 9, 2005, Mr. Wu received a disability certificate from the Jingzhou Federation of the Disabled in Hubei Province, confirming his disability level as Grade 4.
Mr. Wu said that last September, through the introduction of an acquaintance, he worked in a factory in Huangchong, Zhongtang. In early September this year, because the factory moved to Wuzhou, Shanghai, and his family was in Sangyuan, Wentang, Dongcheng, he had no choice but to look for work again.
Mr. Wu said that on the morning of the 26th, when he came to Dachong Electronics Co., Ltd. to look for work, a recruitment notice posted at the factory's entrance made him very angry. The notice clearly stated that disabled individuals would not be hired, "even before the interview, many people were turned away."
Doesn't hiring someone who only uses their hands and feet, even if they are disabled, make sense?
According to Mr. Wu's statement, yesterday morning, the reporter came to the entrance of Dachong Electronics Co., Ltd., where a recruitment board posted the factory's introduction (see the small diagram in the upper right).
Mr. Wu learned that this company recruited operators who only needed to sit on chairs every day and do assembly line work, "as long as you use your hands," and it would be hard to detect the prosthetic limb, so what difference does having a disabled foot make?
Subsequently, Mr. Wu went directly to the company's personnel department for an interview, but the other party told him that they did not hire disabled individuals because they were concerned it might cause inconvenience to the company's work, thus turning him away.
Mr. Wu said that if rejecting individuals with tattoos due to image issues could be somewhat understandable, rejecting disabled individuals and even left-handed people was "clearly discriminatory."
Reporter's Investigation:
Factories lack workers but do not hire disabled individuals.
During the reporter's interview, it was just the end of the shift at Dachong Electronics Co., Ltd. An employee who had just come out of the factory gate told the reporter that this company is a professional manufacturer of electronic transformers. They have a five-day workweek with normal working hours of eight hours per day. Overtime pay is calculated at 1.5 times the base salary. "The workload is not heavy."
A staff member in charge of recruitment in the company's personnel department also revealed to the reporter that the factory currently has a shortage of nearly 200 employees, but the actual number of employees needed exceeds this figure. However, the company does not hire disabled individuals.
The reporter found that within less than 500 meters near Dachong Company is the Dongguan Disabled Vocational Training Center, "after many people receive vocational training, they find jobs nearby in the industrial zone."
Mr. Wu said that in the three years he has been in Dongguan, he has applied to more than twenty companies without success, "but this factory openly refuses to hire disabled individuals, which indeed shows great prejudice."
Factory Side:
To Enhance the Company's Image
Regarding the controversial notice from Dachong Electronics Co., Ltd., subsequently, a responsible person surnamed Fu in the company's personnel department clearly informed the reporter that the company does not hire disabled, tattooed, or left-handed employees to enhance the company's image. Mr. Fu said that the company will soon vigorously expand its international market, so the requirements for various aspects of employees are relatively high.
Mr. Fu said that this is mainly due to concerns that some customers might occasionally visit the factory, "fearing that they might see these individuals and form a bad impression."
Lawyer:
Corporate Behavior Involves Employment Discrimination
Lawyer Li Zhiguo from Guangdong Lan Tian Zhu Law Firm believes that national policies related to disabled employment require each enterprise to reach a certain percentage of disabled employees during recruitment. This company openly narrows down the scope of recruitment conditions and adds many special physiological requirements, and also includes individuals under 1.55 meters, those with tattoos, and left-handed people in the non-recruitment range, which clearly constitutes employment discrimination.
Li Zhiguo believes that if job seekers encounter unfair treatment due to personal physical reasons in the job competition, they can file a complaint with the labor department, allowing the Labor Bureau to administratively penalize the company's violations. If there is harm to one's spirit or personality, they can file a civil lawsuit with the local court.