The 300 employees at the Youbang Plastic and Hardware Company in Huangjiang township, Dongguan, Guangdong Province have found relief in relieving themselves after the local labor bureau ordered the company to stop timing and fining them for taking "too long" in the restrooms.
Under the old rule workers were allowed only 400 minutes a month of bathroom breaks and fined one yuan ($0.14) for every minute over the limit. "Toilet managers" were stationed at the doors to ensure the employees swiped their time cards before using the loos.
"In summer, people always drink lots of water, but they didn't dare to go to the toilet frequently," said Liang Wei, an employee. "If workers used up their toilet time in one day, they could not go to toilet the next day. Nineteen workers were punished and one was fined more than 100 yuan."
(Source: Global Times/Dongguan Times)
