During the May Day holiday, the so-called “May Day Labor Day” celebrated by the Chinese sparked discussion. (Photo credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images)
[Watch China News on May 2, 2024](Watch comprehensive report by Chinese reporter Li Xiaokui) In the pastMay dayMainland Chinese people either choose to go out for fun or stay at home to “let themselves fly.” What is special this year is that many people have raised a question, that isChinaPeople celebrate the so-called “May Day”labor day“Where did it come from and started a series of discussions.
On May 1, a quote from Professor Sun Liping of Tsinghua University in Beijing began to circulate on Weibo. He said: One thing I want to do for the rest of my life is to find out who was the first to translate “International Labor Day” into “International Labor Day”. “.
A piece of Sun Liping’s words circulated on Weibo: One thing I want to do for the rest of my life is to find out who was the first to translate “International Labor Day” into “International Labor Day”. (Image source: Weibo)
China Civilization Network reported that the May Day Labor Day celebrated by the Chinese can be traced back to 1918. At that time, some intellectuals distributed leaflets introducing the May Day Labor Day to the public in Shanghai, Suzhou and other places, and mentioned “labor rights” , “labor dignity”, “labor sanctity” and other new concepts were introduced into China. On May 1, 1920, workers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities took to the streets and held massive demonstrations and rallies to fight for an eight-hour working day. The theme was “the sanctity of labor.” After the Communist Party of China was established in 1949 and took over mainland China, it designated May as “Labor Day” every year.
However, although China’s “Labor Law” clearly stipulates that “daily working hours shall not exceed 8 hours, and the average weekly working hours shall not exceed 44 hours; employers shall ensure that workers have at least one day off per week.” “State Council’s Regulations on Employee Working Hours” Article 5 of the Regulations also stipulates: “Due to restrictions on the nature of work or production characteristics, if the standard working hours system of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week cannot be implemented, other work and rest methods may be implemented in accordance with relevant national regulations.” However, the CCP’s official regulations seem to have never been truly implemented and enforced.
For example, with the strong support of the government, China’s major Internet companies advocate the “996” working model; delivery boys come and go in rain or shine, and even having a day off a week is considered a luxury.
At the same time, the Chinese Communist Party’s official media also claimed that every May Day, the party and the government would commend “workers who have made outstanding contributions.”
The “Price and Income” survey report released by UBS Group in 2018 mentioned that among 77 major cities in the world, Beijingers ranked 22nd with an average of 2,096 hours of work per year, which is more than the average 1,987 hours per year of Shanghai residents. A full 109 hours, calculated based on an 8-hour working day, is equivalent to people in Beijing working 14 days more per year than people in Shanghai. In the city of leisure, each person works only 1,663 hours per year, which is a full 54 working days less than in Beijing.
Coincidentally, statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics of China in July 2018 showed that the average weekly working hours of employees in Chinese enterprises that month was 46 hours. If calculated based on 52 weeks and deducting 13 days of statutory holidays, it is equivalent to 2,272 hours of annual working hours, ranking first in the world.
Data from the International Labor Organization in 2023 still show that among the top 10 countries with working hours, China tops the list with 46 hours of work per week, which is higher than the maximum weekly working hours of 35 hours stipulated by the International Labor Organization.
By comparison, Germans work an average of 26 hours a week; Americans work an average of 34 hours a week; Canadians work an average of 33 hours a week; and Australians work an average of 32 hours a week.
It is worth mentioning that statistics on average weekly working hours in various countries already include relevant factors such as statutory holidays and annual leave.
Based on the comparison of relevant data, it is not difficult to find that compared with developed countries, China’s working hours are obviously very long.
Some netizens commented on the overseas social network , Therefore, the Communist Party will not care about the efficiency of your work, but will care about whether you mess around. ”
One of Shang Yang’s five skills to control the people is to tire the people. Only by keeping the people with endless things to do will they have no time to think about other things. It is more conducive to governance, so the Communist Party will not care about the efficiency of your work, but will care about whether you mess around. pic.twitter.com/PReruBpqoi
— Daniel Fang (@fang_danie121) April 30, 2024
Some netizens said bluntly, “The only intuitive standard for the so-called human progress is: working hours are getting shorter and shorter, and life time is getting longer and longer. Everything contrary to this, no matter how fanciful it is, is a scam!”, “Heavy labor Not only can it destroy a person’s body, but it can also destroy a person’s most severe condition! People who are covered in dust and smell of sweat live a humble life. They work just to survive, and that’s all…labor has nothing to do with glory!”
Source: Look at China
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