What’s trending?

A courier company employee was dismissed after he refused a company order to work overtime until 9 p.m., three hours after he was supposed to clock off. The hashtag #fresh-graduate-dismissed-by-STO-Express-for-refusing-to-work-996# has been viewed over 200 million times on Weibo.

What’s the story?

The employee surnamed Jiang graduated from university in 2020 before taking a job with STO Express, one of China’s largest courier companies. Jiang said his former boss talked to him on Sep. 7, requiring him to work late every day despite his shift officially finishing at 6 p.m. In a leaked audio recording provided by Jiang, his former vice manager appeared to tell him that the company required overtime in employees’ best interests, and that young people like Jiang should not have romantic relationships because they would not end well.

Jiang thought the requirement to work overtime was unlawful and chose to leave at 6 p.m. the next day. On Sep. 9, Jiang was fired for having a “poor work attitude”. He then took STO Express to an arbitration committee which ruled that the termination was unjust. STO Express has filed an appeal.

Debate around long working hours has exploded on Chinese social media following the death of a young employee of Pinduoduo who is thought to have worked past midnight on several occasions.

What are people saying online?

Social media users overwhelmingly praised Jiang for his bravery in fighting against “injustice”. “All rights are gained by fighting. Labor relations exist in developed countries due to persistence,” read one popular comment.

Some also expressed how ridiculous they thought it was that a company should try to stop its employees from having romantic relationships outside of work. One Weibo user said, “It is none of anybody’s business whether I want to have a relationship at any age. STO Express is clearly breaking the law.”

Contact editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)

Related: Pinduoduo Worker’s Death Renews Scrutiny of 996 Work Culture