Beijing’s top court has fired a warning shot over excessive working hours at Chinese companies, in authorities’ latest salvo in a sweeping regulatory crackdown on the country’s biggest technology groups.
China’s Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Friday jointly issued a set of new “model” cases that will guide courts on how to treat workers’ rights in labour disputes, while warning companies over abuse.
The strengthening of labour rights came after years of dissent among technology sector workers over the so-called 996 labour system, in which employees are expected to work from 9am-9pm, six days a week.