Chinese Workers Boycott Spending to Protest Holiday Work
Chinese employees are using social media and consumer boycotts to protest mandatory weekend work during national holidays and inhumane productivity schedules.
Chinese workers are organizing social media campaigns and consumer boycotts to protest mandatory weekend work during national holidays. On Weibo, discussions opposing holiday compensation work have garnered 360 million views, with some employees vowing to stop spending during holidays to challenge schedules they describe as "inhumane."
This unrest stems from an export-driven growth model that pressures companies to reduce costs and increase overtime. The trend has led to a surge in legal challenges, with the Supreme People's Court reporting a 37.5% year-on-year increase in labor disputes during the first nine months of 2025.
Chinese workers attempted to organize through a "Weekend Off Shopping" app on WeChat, launched in July to help consumers identify employers that grant full weekends. However, authorities suspended the app in September for regulatory violations. While the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the Cyberspace Administration of China have not commented, some state media outlets have acknowledged a "governance loophole" regarding the right to rest.
