![]() ![]() In March 2019, an "anti-996" protest was launched via GitHub. Critics argue that the 996 working hour system is a violation of Chinese Labour Law and have called it " modern slavery". ![]() A number of Mainland Chinese internet companies have adopted this system as their official work schedule. It derives its name from its requirement that employees work from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days per week i.e. The 996 working hour system ( Chinese: 996工作制) is a work schedule practiced by some companies in China. ![]() ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Further details may exist on the talk page. Please expand the article to include this information. “Moves against 996 culture may be driven more by China’s own version of populist politics than by economic or regulatory rationale,” he says.This article is missing information about background on other (especially non-tech) overwork cultures in China legitimized "special work hour" system in Shenzhen. “President Xi wants to be more secure and therefore more popular.” “China is rolling out populist policies, including tech crackdowns, including common prosperity…and labor protection is part of those measures,” says Zhuang. Zhuang says that the 996 court statement and other populist measures may, in part, be aimed at helping President Xi cement his power for a third term in the lead-up to next year’s National Party Congress. Zhuang argues the court’s 996 ruling needs to be seen in the context of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s populist push, where the government has reduced the power of tech companies via sweeping antitrust regulations and called on the country’s elite to redistribute their wealth in a recently announced “common prosperity” campaign. “The economic incentives remain the same, and companies tend to find creative loopholes.”Ĭhina’s crackdown on 996 culture places the government firmly on the side of the workers against the country’s powerful tech giants, says Bo Zhuang, a China economist at Loomis Sayles. “A ruling alone will not change a culture, especially one that is entrenched for several decades,” says Lewis. Pang says that if labor law is strictly enforced, employment in China’s tech sector could increase by as much as 30% as firms make up for the lost hours of overextended workers.ĭev Lewis, program lead at Digital Asia Hub, says it’s just as likely that firms will find new ways to keep their employees working long hours. There is a wide gap between the 72-hour workweek required under a 996 regime and the 44-hour workweek officially allowed under Chinese law. One collapsed and died after walking home from the office after midnight while the other committed suicide. Earlier this year, calls for reform spiked after two employees of e-commerce firm Pinduoduo died within the span of two weeks after logging heavy hours at the office. “If you don’t like, every minute is torture.”īut a growing chorus of critics has denounced 996 culture as a form of worker exploitation. “If we find things we like, 996 is not a problem,” Ma wrote. In 2019, Alibaba founder Jack Ma penned an essay calling 996 a “great blessing” and a necessary component to Alibaba’s rise. The 996 working habits have been intrinsic to the culture of Chinese tech firms like e-commerce firm Alibaba, social media giant Tencent, and Alibaba-rival JD.com, which often attribute their success, in part, to long hours logged by passionate employees. In one case, an employee at an unnamed media firm died at the workplace after being forced to log long hours. The court issued its rule following a review of 10 court cases in which overworked employees had overtime benefits denied. Cracking down on 996 culture is part of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s broader campaign to reduce inequality in Chinese society and limit the power of the nation’s largest tech companies. At the same time, for China’s government the optics of a populist push may be as important as how the ban on 996 will be enforced. Outlawing 996 culture marks a significant shift in the strenuous working culture that some of China’s top tech companies have attributed to their success. Overtime can easily lead to labor disputes, impact the worker-employer relationship and social stability.” “Obeying the national regime for working hours is the obligation of employers. “Legally, workers have the right to corresponding compensation and rest times or holidays,” the court said in a statement published on Friday. On Friday, China’s top court, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security jointly declared that China’s “996” working culture-the presumption that employers in China’s tech sector have the right to demand that employees work from 9 a.m. Or at least they now have clearer legal claim against unpaid overtime. ![]()
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