Shenzhen recently published a guide on building a harmonious relationship between employees and employers, which specifies that employers should ensure employees receive at least 24 consecutive hours off work each workweek.
The guide is based on national laws, according to the Shenzhen Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.
The rule doesn’t mean that employees can only rest one day per week; rather, it is designed to better guarantee employees’ legal rights given that some enterprises might require employees to work extra hours to meet their operational goals, bureau officials were quoted as telling DT News.
However, even though companies agree to pay overtime wages, it is still illegal for them to ask employees to work seven days a week.
At present, China adheres to the standard eight hours a day, 40-hour workweek. Under this framework, even if employees only need to work five hours a day, it is still illegal for employers to ask them to work seven days a week.
The country’s Labor Law stipulates that the maximum extra time at work is three hours per day and 36 hours per month.
Employers that arrange for employees to work longer hours must renumerate them not less than 150 percent of their salary.
Employers that arrange for employees to work on rest days but not allow them to take a day off later must remunerate the employees not less than 200 percent of their salary, while employers asking employees to work during legal holidays must renumerate them not less than 300 percent of their salaries.
Employees who are forced to work overtime can report to their local labor supervision authority.