|
Labor standards inspection offices across the country confirmed approximately 27.2 billion yen in unpaid overtime last fiscal year, up about 4.5 billion yen from the year earlier, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said.
The finding has called into question Japan's corporate culture in which long work hours and unpaid overtime are often regarded as acceptable.
However, the ministry pointed out that workers are increasingly aware that unpaid overtime is illegal.
"Workers and their families are now aware that unpaid overtime is unlawful, and more of them now consult with authorities. As a result, the number of cases in which their employers are ordered to pay unpaid overtime allowances has been increasing," a ministry official said. "However, companies have failed to rectify their management of employees' work hours."
In fiscal 2007, the ministry's labor standards inspection offices across the country ordered a record 1,728 companies, 49 more than the previous year, to pay a combined 27,242.61 million yen to workers in unpaid overtime allowances.
The number of recipients of these allowances decreased slightly from the previous year to 179,543. However, the average amount they were paid stood at a record 150,000 yen.
These cases do not include those in which companies were ordered to pay less than 1 million yen in total unpaid overtime allowances throughout fiscal 2007.
(Mainichi Japan) October 25, 2008
 Copyright 2005-2006 THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. Mainichi features the best news in Japan, current news in Japan, Japan news in English, Japan business news, Tokyo Japan news, and Japan entertainment news. Mainichi News is syndicated in accordance with editorial regulations: personal and noncommercial purposes.
 Related items
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed