Protesting long hours

“996”工作制，是蜜糖还是毒药？

Many people dream of becoming a programmer for a major tech company, as such work can secure a high salary. However, it may also mean having routinely to accept overtime work.

许多人都梦想着成为大型科技公司的程序员，因为这是一份高薪的工作。然而，这或许也意味着接受加班成为常态。

Recently, a programmer introduced a project called "996.ICU" on github.com, the well-known code-sharing website. The project criticized the "996 work schedule" where employees work from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week, with the prospect of ending up in an intensive care unit (ICU).

最近，一位程序员在知名代码分享网站Github.com上发起了一个名为“996.ICU”的项目。该项目抵制“996工作制”—— 指从每天上午9点工作到晚上9点，每周工作6天，最终生病被送进重症监护室（ICU）。

The work schedule is common among Chinese tech companies. On the website, many programmers working for China's tech companies shared evidence showing that their companies asked them to work the long hours, reported CGTN. Among them were major names like e-commerce leaders Alibaba and JD.com, as well as telecoms equipment maker Huawei.

这种工作制在国内科技公司中十分常见。据中国国际电视台报道，在该网站上，许多就职于国内科技公司的程序员们都分享了公司要求他们长时间工作的经历。这些公司中不乏知名公司，如阿里巴巴、京东等电商巨头，以及电信设备制造商华为。

"The overwork culture is rooted in China's tech industry. I worked '996' for nine months. During that time, I had serious insomnia due to the high pressure. So, I quit," a former software developer surnamed Zhang, told Quartz.

“加班文化深植于中国科技行业中。我“996”工作了9个月。在那段时间里，我在高压之下严重失眠，所以最终辞职，”一位张姓前软件工程师在接受Quartz网站采访时如此表示。

However, several bosses of tech companies have defended "996" as a kind of work culture. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, said it's "a huge blessing" for young workers to work "996".

但多家科技公司的老板都支持“996”，将其视为一种工作文化。阿里巴巴创始人马云表示，对于年轻员工而言，能 “996”是“一种巨大的福气”。

"If you don't do '996' when you're young, when will you?" Ma said, according to a post on Alibaba's WeChat account. "If you don't invest more time and energy than others, how will you achieve the success you want?"

“如果你年轻的时候不996，你什么时候可以996？”在阿里巴巴微信公众号的一篇推文中，马云如此表示。“你不付出超越别人的努力和时间，你怎么能够实现你想要的成功？”

However, People's Daily said that those who questioned "996" should not be labeled.

然而，《人民日报》却认为不能给反对“996”的人贴标签。

"Valuing hard work does not equate to forcing employees to work overtime," commented the newspaper. "One should not attach the moral labels of 'slackers' or 'not willing to strive' to employees who are against '996'."

“崇尚奋斗、崇尚劳动不等于强制加班，”该报评论道。“不能给反对996的员工贴上‘混日子'‘不奋斗'的道德标签。”

Meanwhile, Cui Zhendong, a lawyer with the Yiqian Law Firm, told China Daily that it is illegal for a company to introduce a compulsory "996" work schedule for employees, since the Labor Law clearly states that one should only work eight hours a day and no more than 44 hours a week.

与此同时，益仟律师事务所律师崔振东在接受《中国日报》采访时表示，企业向员工强制推行“996”工作制并不合法，《中华人民共和国劳动法》明确规定，劳动者每日工作时间不超过8小时、平均每周工作时间不超过44小时。

Katt Gu, a US-trained tech industry lawyer, said that tech companies should motivate employees and give full play to their creativity and productivity.

曾在美国进修的科技行业律师顾紫翚认为，科技公司应当激发员工的积极性，充分发挥他们的创造力和生产力。

"Technology shouldn't be a labor-intensive industry; it should be a creative industry. Creative people need to take a rest," Gu told South China Morning Post.

“科技并非是劳动密集型产业；而应当是创意产业。创造性人才需要休息，”顾紫翚在接受《南华早报》采访时表示。