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Among Chinese, Fear and Prejudice About Hepatitis B
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Asked how the dismissed employees could be expected to return to work, Wu said, "As long as they can prove that they are not infectious." Asked how a rest period would be helpful if carriers cannot "recover" in three months, Wu replied, "At that time, we didn't consider everything in details."
The Beijing office of HP said in a statement: "HP has been made aware of these allegations against one of our suppliers and is in the process of finding out more information."
A supervisor in charge of quality control at Cal-Comp said she was also dismissed because she carries the hepatitis B virus.
"I asked several times, 'Are you firing me because I'm a carrier?' " said the employee, Li, who spoke on condition that her full name not be used. "The human resources manager didn't admit it directly. First she said, 'I don't think you are suitable for collective life.' I did have a dorm room there, but at most stayed there once a week. The main reason is because of eating together -- there's a public cafeteria, they share the dishes. It's enough to worry the company."
Li said she was offered more money than her colleague Liao because she threatened to take the story to the news media. She received $2,308, which she said was for salary and medical compensation, but what she really wants is her job back.
Forced to leave the company in January, Li now makes $128 a month selling clothes, half of what she used to earn. "The company is not giving us an equal opportunity. They are treating my colleagues and us hepatitis B carriers differently, and that's illegal and unfair," she said. "They are depriving me of an opportunity to develop my skills and to work."
Researcher Li Jie in Wujiang and staff writer David Brown in Washington contributed to this report.
