Introduction:A branch of ShuYi Boba Tea in Changsha was fined ten thousand yuan for hiring a 13-year-old minor, exposing loopholes in labor management within the food and beverage industry. This article delves into the incident, the legal basis for the penalty, and explores how to avoid child labor risks—helping coffee and tea professionals grasp key compliance details under labor laws.

The bubble tea industry has once again drawn public attention due to a child labor case. A ShuYi Boba Tea outlet in Changsha was fined ten thousand yuan by the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau for employing a minor just 13 years old. This incident not only highlights negligence in labor management at some food and beverage outlets but also brings the public’s focus back to the current state of enforcement regarding the protection of minors and labor regulations.

According to official information, on March 3, 2022, a citizen reported via the 12345 hotline that the ShuYi Boba Tea Information Harbor Store located in Lugu Subdistrict, Yuelu District, Changsha, was suspected of hiring a child worker. The next day, the Changsha Human Resources and Social Security Bureau initiated an investigation into the store (registered as Tan Liangbo Beverage Shop in the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone of Changsha). During the investigation, relevant departments made multiple attempts to contact the involved minor, but the individual did not cooperate. It was not until March 17 that the store owner, Tan Liangbo, came to the authority to be questioned.

The investigation revealed that the store had indeed employed a 13-year-old male minor, Hu. Hu worked at the store in two separate periods: from January 12 to January 27, 2022, and from February 8 to February 25, 2022, totaling more than one month. Due to serious violations of the store’s internal rules and regulations, Hu was dismissed on February 26. It was not until May 23 that the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau issued the “Prior Notice of Administrative Penalty for Labor Security Supervision” to the store, to which the store did not submit any statements or defenses. Finally, on June 6, the penalty decision was officially issued, fining the store ten thousand yuan in accordance with the “Provisions on the Prohibition of Child Labor.”

Notably, the store owner responded that the minor claimed to be 15 years old, was a idle youth, had been expelled from school for causing trouble on campus, and wanted to work during the winter break to earn money. The owner stated that he had asked for a copy of the minor’s ID card, but the individual never provided it. Due to a shortage of staff, the minor was ultimately hired. However, it turned out that Hu was only 13 years old, far below the legal working age.

The aftermath of the incident became even more complicated. The minor was dismissed for playing with a mobile phone, sleeping on the job, and being negligent at work. Subsequently, feeling dissatisfied, the minor gathered people from society to cause trouble at the store and reported it. The store owner revealed that due to financial issues, the fine has not yet been paid.

This case serves as a wake-up call for coffee and tea professionals. According to labor laws,no enterprise or individual business may employ minors under the age of 16,otherwise they will face severe penalties. Employers should strictly verify the identity documents of job applicants during recruitment to avoid breaking the law due to negligence or staffing shortages.

In addition, professionals should establish sound labor management systems, including pre-employment document review, age verification procedures, and employee conduct standards, while retaining relevant records for inspection. The same rules apply to temporary or part-time workers, and standards must not be relaxed due to short-term needs.

In summary, this child labor incident is not just a staffing mistake by a single outlet, but also reflects an overall lack of awareness of labor law compliance within the industry. Coffee and tea professionals should take this as a lesson, strengthen management processes, ensure lawful and compliant operations, and avoid similar risks and losses.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.