Last week China’s Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued a set of ten new legal cases (what we would normally think of as judicial rulings) about how to treat workers’ rights in labour disputes. The ten cases (documented here in Chinese) cover mostly workplace overtime disputes. Before I can describe these cases, we need to talk about what is called 996 schedules.
Chinese companies are infamous for setting very high working hours: the numbers refer to the “usual” workday running from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. As Protocol discusses, this schedule has been tacitly approved by the government for years, and even promoted by such mainstream business owners such as Jack Ma (who called 996 workers a blessing for his company Alibaba) and Richard Li, who derided those that didn’t as slackers.
The 996 situation changed with the cases cited by the courts last week. Given a series of high-profile deaths by overworked and overstressed employees, a growing movement among Chinese Millennials to have more of a work/life balance and a concern by the central government about a shrinking labor force (China’s population growth is slowing), it was time for some clarification and to try to stamp out 996 practices. The ten cases define a “standard” 44 hour workweek and 8 hour work day. how to resolve pay disputes, and other employment matters.
The rulings have already brought about changes for smartphone maker Vivo, which scrapped its six-day work weeks the day after the cases were published. Legal scholars predicted that worker complaints would be given more credence by the court system. Still, some social media reaction was skeptical, so we’ll see what happens. But it certainly is a step in the right direction.
Hi David. Thanks for your work in publishing insightful views and news. I have read your works since the mid 90s. One comment. Nothing and I mean absolutely nothing in China is as it seems. Everything is calculated to curate a better image on the world stage. In this case there are so many human rights violations that are increasing in China by PLA design. This i996 “human rights improvement” is a fake left. It is misdirection and obsfucation, not a step in the right direction. My opinions are based on direct experience and knowledge not recycled punditry or Re communicated propaganda.
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