Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

Hong Kong charity sued for sacking former employee over Covid-19 infection

Hong Kong charity sued for sacking former employee over Covid-19 infection

M. Tariq is seeking HK$104,000 in damages from Gurkhas Group (G3S) Charity Foundation, which terminated his contract just one week into his employment.
A former project manager with a Hong Kong charitable organisation has taken his ex-employer to court for sacking him because he contracted Covid-19.

The Equal Opportunities Commission on Monday initiated the second lawsuit in two months on behalf of people suffering discriminatory treatment in the workplace after testing positive for the disease.

In the District Court writ, M. Tariq sought HK$104,000 (US$13,000) in damages from the Gurkhas Group (G3S) Charity Foundation, which decided to terminate his contract just one week into his employment.

The 49-year-old father of two exhibited flu symptoms on January 13 last year, two days after he started his new job. He and his wife attended a testing centre on January 16 upon learning his sister-in-law was a confirmed case.

Tariq tested positive for Covid-19 the following day and remained hospitalised until January 28.

Two days before his discharge, Tariq received a notice dated January 18 via WhatsApp from the foundation’s human resources manager, informing him of the immediate termination of his contract on the grounds that his sickness had “influenced the smooth running of our operations”.

In another message, which foundation chairman Tej Prakash Pun erroneously sent to Tariq’s previous employer, Pun claimed that “our senior management and office [staff] feel unsafe to work together” with the claimant.

Tariq filed a complaint to the commission on January 30, with efforts on reaching a settlement coming to no avail.

Counsel for the commission argued the foundation had discriminated against Tariq in violation of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, noting that he felt “highly offended and humiliated”.

“The [foundation’s] unlawful dismissal has aggravated the stigma attached to Covid-19 patients and caused the claimant to feel unfairly treated and humiliated,” legal counsel Fong Yan-nok wrote.

The sudden dismissal also aggravated Tariq’s anxiety after contracting Covid-19, as his family lost a major source of income when he and his wife were expecting a second child, Fong added.

Counsel asked that the foundation apologise to Tariq in writing and compensate him for injury to feelings and loss of earnings equivalent to two months’ salary.

Tariq had previously filed a complaint to the privacy commissioner for personal data about the foundation’s disclosure of his medical condition and employment status to third parties. The privacy commissioner found in favour of Tariq in August last year and concluded the case by issuing a warning letter to the charitable organisation.

The first discrimination lawsuit in relation to Covid-19 infections came in April. Jobseeker Jasper Siu Chi-yoi sued MEX Fintech Limited for HK$70,000 for allegedly retracting his appointment after he was found to have carried the coronavirus. The first hearing is slated for July.

The Equal Opportunities Commission received 1,540 inquiries and 258 complaints related to Covid-19 between 2020 and last year. Twenty-six involved potential breaches of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×