Beijing Yirenping Center Urges IBM to Treat Depressed Employee with Humanism

Beijing Yirenping Center 2008.7.22

After the continuous pressure came from IBM China, in the afternoon of 21st Jul, Yuan Yi Peng, the person who implicated in the “the Ever First Mental Depression Illness Anti-Discrimination Action of Law in China” had suffered an aggravation of the illness, and got back to the special hospital after one doctor’s suggestion. Being a  NGO which devoted itself to the promotion of the equality of Social vulnerable groups, Beijing Yirenping Center has given attention to the suffering of Yuan Yi Peng from the beginning. We are in highly concerned of the life safety and health condition of Yuan Yi Peng, we urges IBM to respect the basic humanism, stop those ill psychical stimulations as soon as possible.

Yuan Yi Peng, aged 26, had signed a 5 year long labor contract with IBM China in 2006. In 2007, Yuan Yi Peng had suffered a strike of Mental Depression Illness. In the February of 2008, IBM China dismissed Yuan Yi Peng with unproven excuses. On 18th June, 2008, Shanghai Pudong court had given the order to IBM China “resuming the contract and the original job post of Yuan Yi Peng immediately”.

However, after the court order, IBM China sent a notice to Yuan Yi Peng, suggesting him to change the working post and place. Yuan Yi Peng rejected it according to laws of China and the court order, IBM China then made a “Labor Contract Modification Agreement” on one side, and threatened Yuan Yi Peng to sign it in a limited time from time to time.

These series of actions initiated by IBM China had given Yuan Yi Peng a crashing stimulation of his nerve. After the winning of the law suit, Yuan Yi Peng expected a fair treatment under the protection of the law, instead of continued unfair one from IBM China which had already lasted for more than one year after his illness. Moreover, the way of limited-time reply made by IBM China had also given frightful high pressure to depressed Yuan Yi Peng. As a result, Yuan Yi Peng had suffered an aggravation of illness state, and had to be hospitalized.

Beijing Yirenping Center believed:

1. Conducting as a law-abiding multi-national company, IBM must order its China branch to abide laws of China with “Trust”, respect the court order with “Trust”, put right of its actions of violations of the court order, not in a disguised and “No Trust” form, and finally solve the difference of option with its employee with patience, kindness and “Trust” in a proper way.

2. IBM has initiated and signed the “EICC” in 2004 with the clause “No Discrimination Against Its Employee” with determinate words. It is a commitment to the whole societies around the world, we ask IBM to make a social model for this, realize its commitment firmly, restrict its China branch of continuing unfair treatment to depressed employee, and to treat its employee with humanism.

3. The urgent way of continuous actions of exerting pressures on and stimulations to Yuan Yi Peng has already given great pain and harm to him, and already resulted in an aggravation of his illness state, It Is a Total Inhumanity! We urge IBM to order its China branch to abide the basic humanism, give plenty of consideration of the special psychical needs of depressed people, for the sake of employee’s life, for the consequence of that employee has already been hospitalized, stop their given stimulations as soon as possible, and not to take the approach of hurting the life safety and health condition action anymore.