Chinese workers revolt against holiday work culture

Chinese workers are increasingly using social media to challenge demands from employers to work additional days around the upcoming National Day holiday, highlighting growing concerns over long working hours, low wages and limited labour protections.

China is preparing for its week-long Golden Week holiday in early October. However, many employees say they are being asked to work on weekends before and after the break to compensate for the extended holiday period and maintain production.

The issue has triggered widespread discussion online. A topic on Weibo opposing compulsory holiday compensation work has attracted hundreds of millions of views and tens of thousands of discussions.

Some workers have also called for consumer boycotts as a way to pressure companies into improving working conditions. They argue that refusing to spend money at businesses that deny employees proper weekends could encourage employers to respect workers’ right to rest.

The complaints come amid wider concerns about China’s labour market. Analysts say intense competition among companies and pressure to keep costs low have contributed to stagnant wage growth, fewer job opportunities and increased reliance on overtime.

Official figures indicate that labour disputes are also rising. China’s Supreme People’s Court reported that courts accepted 648,000 labour-related disputes against employers during the first nine months of 2025, representing a 37.5% increase from the same period a year earlier.

Worker dissatisfaction has increasingly appeared on Chinese social media. Earlier this month, public anger followed reports that an automotive lighting company dismissed 107 newly hired graduates. Several of the firm’s clients, including Volkswagen, subsequently began investigations.

Another online campaign focused on companies providing full two-day weekends. A WeChat app called “Weekend Off Shopping” allowed users to rate businesses based on whether their employees received both weekend days off. The platform attracted around 150,000 contributors before authorities suspended it in September, citing regulatory violations.

Chinese state media have also highlighted concerns about workers’ right to rest. Some outlets have described full weekends as increasingly difficult for employees to enjoy and called for stronger protection of labour rights.

Several businesses have responded by publicly identifying themselves as employers that provide two-day weekends, hoping to attract customers and improve their reputation.