30-yr-old Chinese painter dies after working 104 days straight with only 1 day leave

Perils of overworking have once again hit the headlines as a 30-year-old Chinese painter died due to organ failure after working for 104-days straight taking only one day rest.

According to a report by South China Morning Post, a court in Zhejiang province of the country has held the company 20 per cent responsible for A’bao's death and ordered it to pay a compensation worth 400,000 yuan ($56,000) to the man's family.

A’bao had signed a contract with a company to work as a painter. After working for almost four months without any leaves from February to May last year, he died due to multiple organ failure caused by a pneumococcal infection on June 1, 2023. Within his working period, A’bao took only one day off on April 6.

His contract was meant to last until January this year but, A’bao fell ill on May 25 and took a sick leave, spending the rest of the day in his dormitory. Subsequently, on May 28 he had to be admitted to a hospital by his colleagues as his situation did not improve. After being diagnosed with lung infection and respiratory failure, A’bao passed away on June 1.

After his demise, social security officials refused to consider it work related as more than 48-hours had passed between his illness and death.

This led to the painter's family filing a compensation suit, alleging employer negligence.

In its defence, the company said that the employee's workload was "manageable" and the overtimes were "voluntary". It further blamed "pre-existing health conditions for A’bao's death.

The court however ruled that 104 days consecutive work was a clear violation of Chinese Labour Law, which allows a maximum of 8 working hours per day.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage among the working class of China, said the publication. People are arguing that the compensation awarded by the court is too low and the existing labour laws are not helpful.