Teacher in China fired after her cat's appearance in online class wins Rs 4.6 lakh payout

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Chandigarh, August 22

In China’s Guangzhou city, a teacher was fired after her cat appeared during an online class. She, however, has won 40,000 yuan (over Rs 4.6 lakh) in an unfair dismissal case.

The art teacher was conducting an online class last year when her cat jumped into the camera’s view five times. The edtech company fired her citing the cat’s sudden appearances as a reason.

The incident occurred last year in June when the teacher, identified as Luo, was conducting an online class. Suddenly, her pet cat jumped into her camera’s view five times, reports independent.co.uk.

Lou’s employer fired her citing the cat’s sudden appearances, which it said harmed “the image of a teacher”.

As per the report, the teacher appealed the decision, but the company refused to compensate her and challenged the committee’s ruling in a trial court.

Presiding judge Liao Yajing at the Guangzhou Tianhe People’s Court ruled that employers should not be “too demanding” if their staff is required to work from home during the Covid pandemic.

“The employer’s rules should not only comply with the laws, but should also be fair and reasonable,” the judge was quoted by Central Radio Network as saying, adding that: “The home setting is not the same as the office.”