"996", the arduous system that governs the active life of Chinese technology giants

SHANGHAI.- The engineer Wu Linfeng works in the technology sector of

China

, with endless days, from 9 to 21, six days a week. This is the "996" system. He is exhausted, loads little and feels like a hamster on a wheel.

When he recently saw comedy
Modern times he started crying. Seeing Charlie Chaplin's badembly line worker was like looking in the mirror. The "996" regulates the active life of many engineers, programmers, video game developers and other computer scientists. Wu has been there for three years.

"You're the first girl I've been talking to for about a year!", Said the worker to a reporter, exaggerating a bit. Use a pseudonym of fear, he says, to lose your job.

For years, China's tech industry employees have worked so long that they seem to spoil the workaholics of Silicon Valley. Now, they expose the employers who force them to work late into the night. Some programmers even keep their creations out of reach of companies that, in their opinion, give too much importance to the "996" culture.

"Ten years ago, people were not complaining about" 996, "said Li Shun, a former employee of Baidu, the research giant, who left the company. company to found an emerging online medicine company. "At one point, this industry was booming, but now it's no longer a normal industry, there is no gigantic financial profits, it is unrealistic to expect people to work on a "996" schedule. "

Unlike what is usually happening in China – where independent unions are banned and the government has a hard line against populist uprisings that it does not control – the movement is gaining ground.

China's technology sector is home to large companies, such as the telecommunications giant

Huawei

and Alibaba e-commerce.

Although China is a country where the effort is encouraged and where rest is considered a luxury, the infernal rhythms of "996" raise questions. To the point that a "blacklist" of Chinese companies governed by this system became viral after being released anonymously.

It has been translated into about 20 languages ​​and has about 140 names. Among the companies mentioned are the online sales platform Pinduoduo, the video game giant Tencent or Bytedance, the company behind the TikTok video sharing application.

Piece

China, celebrating Workers Day with a four-day bridge, has begun a national reflection on whether the country's rapid modernization should be accompanied by burnout.

On Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, the tag # 996 has been viewed more than 15 million times. Many commentators criticize companies and authorities for violating legislation limiting work to 40 hours per week and providing for a maximum of 36 hours of overtime per month.

"They say that China is ruled by the working clbad," said a comment apparently referring to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), ruling in the country since 1949. "But have you ever seen leaders exploited in this way? ? "

Anonymous, a video game developer said he had already spent 110 hours in the office. After years of effort, the 31-year-old suffers from endocrine problems and depression, which he attributes to overwork.

"I do not feel I have achieved anything and I am far from rich," she says, adding that at the moment she earned "less than a housekeeper".

Area magnates also commented.
Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, believes that the "996" system is "an enormous blessing" for those who want to succeed. The executive chairman of his rival, JD.com, Richard Liu, described as "idle" those who refuse to work hard.

His comments provoked a barrage of criticism.

Then, Ma attenuated his comments. He has started a conversation within the industry. On Monday, China's Ministry of Human Resources received an open letter signed by 74 lawyers from across the country, urging the government to enforce labor laws appropriately.

Even the Chinese state media has asked employers to soften their claims.

Chinese technology sector employees earn an average of $ 5 an hour, according to China's leading recruitment platform, Boss Zhipin (five times less than the Japanese and ten times less than in Silicon Valley).

"If you do not want to work, others wait in line and wait to replace you," sums up an engineer who prefers not to give his name.

Chinese authorities have not yet ruled, but the People's Daily, the body of the CCP, said in a recent editorial that the "996" violated the laws on hours of work.

AFP Agency and the New York Times