Imagine working hard for a month and receiving vouchers instead of money as a salary. Vouchers cannot be utilized for all types of expenses; hence currency is required. This is the reality for workers at a company in China's Jilin province, where wages are distributed in vouchers. After an employee shared a photo of these coupons on social media, the company received substantial outrage and is now being investigated by the local human resources department.
According to the worker at the retail mall Motian Vitality City, the amount of the vouchers varies between 10 and 500 yuan (Rs 120 and Rs 6,039). Like banknotes, each voucher has a unique serial number and is only valid for discounts at certain establishments within the Motian Vitality City Mall, such as restaurants, retail stores, parking lots, and property maintenance costs. The coupons are only good till the year is over.
Furthermore, no change is provided if the value of the items bought is less than the voucher amount, which adds to the annoyance. All employees of Dazhong Zhuoyue Holding Group, Motian Vitality City's parent firm, are paid in the same way, whether they work in real estate, property management, or taxis.
Employees have expressed their outrage and disappointment on social media, pointing out that those with children's school fees, auto debts, or elderly parents to support are left in a difficult situation with vouchers.
"These are the salary amounts for my three months' hard work," the employee who initially posted about the vouchers on social media said while discussing the shopping center at Motian Vitality City. "Many colleagues have mortgages, vehicle loans, young children, and elderly parents to support. "We are helpless with these vouchers," the man remarked.
People were outraged by the share, with many labeling the firm as "inhuman". A guy wrote, “Since when can a company issue their currency? They should be severely punished.”
“So many years have passed, and they are still doing that,” a person said. Another added, “We must have you pay back whatever you have earned from me. It does not seem like a company but a slave owner.”
The situation is currently being investigated by the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. According to lawyer Zhao Liangshan of Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm, the corporation violated the Labour Law by failing to pay laborers' salaries in cash regularly.
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