A group of Meituan food delivery workers in the northern city of Weinan staged a symbolic protest last month, reportedly over their onerous working conditions and the fact that, even though they are not technically Meituan employees, they still have to wear the company uniform and essentially act as brand ambassadors.

The announcement on 31 May that married couples in China can now have three children has been dismissed and even derided by many workers who cannot afford to get married or are struggling to raise one child on meagre salaries.