(ECNS) -- Lawyers have warned a company that paying an employee only 160.25 yuan ($24) for her first month of work violates the law.
After working for one month, a fresh graduate in northeast China's Changchun city found her first monthly paycheck was less than one-tenth of her contract wage.
The woman Xiaoxue (name changed for privacy concerns) said she was promised 1,750 yuan in the first month and then a minimum of 2,000 yuan later. She also admitted that she failed to finish many tasks to meet the company's quality requirements.
The actual money she received was also far lower than minimum wage of 1,480 yuan in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province.
The company said it bases its payment on employee performance without a basic salary, the National Business Daily reported.
A lawyer said the company has violated minimum wage regulations from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security as well as the province's requirements.
Xia Jun, a lawyer with Beijing Zhongzi Law Firm, said it's illegal for companies to squeeze employee salaries during a probationary period.
Even though the company signed a contract with Xiaoxue to pay such a low salary, the contract itself is invalid because it violates the Labor Contract Law, Xia added.
