Company pays sick employee salary after resignation

A uremia patient recently sent a letter to the city government of Changzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, to thank his former employer for paying him salary five years after his resignation, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Tang Jianguo from Zhenjiang became a driver in the Changzhou Longtu Travel and Commercial Passenger Transportation Co in 2009, and resigned in 2012 when he discovered a disease after a physical examination.

Han Ping, a manager of the company, said the company expected Tang would work at another post at that time, because of Tang's family situation — he has a 70-year-old mother, a 20-year-old son in school and a wife with diabetes.

But Tang decided to resign. "My disease made me unsuitable for my work, and I did not want the company to pay for an idle man," Tang said.

Zhu Yaming, general manager at that time, held a meeting on Tang's case where the company's employees donated more than 10,000 yuan ($1,565.11) and the company promised to aid Tang with a monthly salary of 1,800 yuan.

"It is called salary, but it is an aid. Our company listed it as a special spending. The salary was at the average level of employees that year," Han said.

Besides the salary, the company would also visit Tang when Spring Festival came. On Jan 17, Han took some gifts, visiting Tang again.

The salary, plus a government subsidy, gave the family 2,500 yuan a month, but it had to spend 1,500 yuan on medical fees for Tang and his wife. Tang was on dialysis three times a week, four hours each session.

The remaining 1,000 yuan would support the life of Tang, his wife and his 76-year-old mother, as well as his son in university. Fortunately, his son graduated this year.

Tang is more worried about the debt of 200,000 yuan he incurred getting medical treatment for his disease in the beginning. He said he expected his son would shoulder the debt.

Zhu Yafeng, current general manager of the company, said the company would continue to offer the monthly salary for Tang until his death or the company's failure.