International student fired on the spot wins unjustified dismissal payout

An international student fired on the spot at an Auckland jewellery store says students need more protection.

By Ke-Xin Li of RNZ

Yucen Xi was awarded $27,890 after the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found her employer Silvertime Trading Limited (STL) unjustifiably dismissed her on July 19, 2025.

Xi said the legal process was challenging, but she was determined to pursue justice.

"I need to prove that even [if] I'm holding a student visa, I can still go for justice."

Xi was employed by STL as a client advisor to work at Qeelin, a fine jewellery store in Newmarket.

The jewellery brand is owned by publicly listed company Kering - a global luxury group which also owns brands including Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta.

On July 19, 2025, Xi was asked to attend a 6pm meeting with area manager Edwin Wu.

She was not informed what the meeting was about, but decided to record the meeting.

According to a transcript viewed by ERA, Wu asked Xi to resign.

In the recording, Wu said as store manager, he was "the decision-maker".

"Two warnings, including this warning I'll give you," he said.

"I give you two choices, first amicable separation - you resign yourself - second, two warnings are termination.

Today you directly hand over the key," Wu told her. "If you resign, you give me the key…if you want termination, it will be done quite ugly."

The transcript showed Wu told Xi she will not receive compensation because she was fired, and he called mall security after Xi allegedly refused to leave.

Xi did not complete her shift and was escorted out by security in front of employees from other stores.

ERA member Simon Greening noted in the transcript, Wu referred obliquely to STL's grooming policy and an allegation that Xi had not complied with the policy previously - but there was no evidential basis to establish Wu's concern.

The ERA found STL acted egregiously towards Xi, and its failure to act in good faith during the meeting was "deliberate, serious and sustained".

Xi, a chemistry master's student at the University of Auckland, said her mental health was severely impacted by her employer's conduct.

She said it left her depressed and anxious.

The humiliation, financial pressure, and risk of being unable to complete her studies due to the stress, made her unable to speak to anyone for a week.

But what frustrated her more was the lack of care shown by the brand and parent company.

"I feel like Qeelin doesn't really care about this because every time we have [issues], we need to directly report it to [the manager]," she said.

"So if Edwin (the manager) is bullying us, we need to report it to him - that basically means nothing."

Xi said she was never informed on how to raise official complaints, never met their HR, and had no contact with Qeelin head office other than when ordering stock.

Both Qeelin and Kering have policies around cultivating a respectful work environment.

First Up asked whether they were aware of Silvertime Trading Limited's conduct, and whether any actions will be taken.

Neither company has responded.

First Up also approached Wu and Silvertime Trading Limited director Haixiang Alex Zhang.

The company's representative before the ERA, employment advocate Aimee Cai, said they would not be responding to queries.

Anu Kaloti from the Migrant Workers Association (MWA) said to come study in New Zealand, international students often go through long and rigourous processes before they even arrive.

The opportunity is precious to these students, and many of them do not come from well-off families.

"These are vulnerable members of our society here in Aotearoa and they may not necessarily be aware of their rights as employees," Kaloti said.

"In many cases, even when they are aware of their rights, they don't dare to challenge their employer who may be treating them unfairly or exploiting them, they put up with situations of exploitation because they can't afford to not work at the same time as also studying here."