What the Shuyi case means for industrial coffee retail

A Shuyi Tealicious store in Changsha was fined 10,000 yuan by the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau for employing a 13-year-old child worker. The case opened after a citizen report on March 3, 2022, and an investigation confirmed the boy worked two separate periods in January and February 2022 before being dismissed on February 26, 2022.

The operator argued the child claimed to be over 15 and that he hired him because of a staff shortage. The case highlights gaps in employment management at some food and beverage outlets and has renewed public discussion about protecting minors and enforcing labor law. For industrial coffee and beverage chains, it is a reminder that hiring checks matter at every store level.

The milk tea industry has recently been hit by another labor scandal. A Shuyi Tealicious store in Changsha was fined 10,000 yuan by the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau for employing a 13-year-old child worker. The incident came to light after a citizen report, and an investigation found that the child had worked at the store for several months before being fired, which led to a dispute. The store owner argued that the child claimed to be over 15 and that he agreed to hire him because of a staff shortage. This case not only exposes loopholes in employment management at some food and beverage stores, but also sparked public discussion on the protection of minors and the enforcement of labor laws.

Milk tea represents sweetness and warmth in many people's childhood memories. But recently, the impression that milk tea shops leave on the public is no longer so pleasant—it has instead taken on a heavier tone. A few days ago, another milk tea brand store was thrust into the spotlight for using child labor.

According to information disclosed on the Credit China (Hunan Changsha) official website, on March 3, 2022, a Mr. Liu called the 12345 citizen service hotline to report that the Shuyi Tealicious Information Port store, located at the north gate of California Sunshine West Group in Lugu Subdistrict, Yuelu District, was employing child labor. The next day, the Changsha Human Resources and Social Security Bureau formally opened an investigation into the Tan Liangbo Beverage Store in the Changsha High-tech Industrial Development Zone (that is, the Shuyi Tealicious Information Port store). After opening the case, the bureau tried multiple times to contact the child worker by phone, but the person never appeared to cooperate. It was not until March 17, 2022, that Tan Liangbo, the operator of the beverage store, came to the office to be questioned.

After a detailed investigation, the relevant department confirmed that the Tan Liangbo Beverage Store in the Changsha High-tech Industrial Development Zone had employed a child worker, Hu, male, only 13 years old. Hu's working time at the unit was divided into two periods: January 12 to January 27, 2022, and February 8 to February 25, 2022. Later, because he seriously violated the unit's rules and regulations, Hu was fired on February 26, 2022. On May 23, 2022, the Changsha Human Resources and Social Security Bureau issued to the unit a Prior Notice of Administrative Penalty for Labor Security Supervision. As of May 27, the unit had not made any statement or defense. On June 6, the bureau formally issued the Decision on Administrative Penalty for Labor Security Supervision.

In accordance with the Provisions on the Prohibition of Using Child Labor, the Changsha Human Resources and Social Security Bureau imposed a fine of 10,000 yuan on the unit.

According to a separate report by Southern Metropolis Daily, the owner of the store involved responded that the child worker claimed to be over 15 years old and was a socially idle person. He had been expelled from school for causing trouble and hoped to work at the store during the winter vacation. The owner also mentioned that he had asked the child worker to provide a copy of his ID card, but the other party never submitted it. Because the store was short-staffed, he eventually agreed to let him work.

Not long after, the child worker was dismissed for playing on his phone, sleeping, and slacking off at work. He then developed a desire for revenge, gathered several people from society to cause trouble at the store, and reported the store. The owner of the store involved also revealed that, due to financial constraints, the fine had not yet been paid.

Regarding the penalty imposed on the Shuyi Tealicious store for employing child labor, many lawyer netizens left comments on Weibo to express their views.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.