Labor attorneys counsel workers nationwide on telephone hotlines concerning corporate restructuring

A group of labor lawyers on June 2 set up emergency call numbers in Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido, Fukuoka, and 19 other prefectures for those who are trying to solve problems related to corporate restructuring.

Most of the more than 450 calls were about dismissals. There were 123 calls from workers in their 50s, the age group that made the most calls. A majority of the counsel seekers were non-union workers.

A caller complained about the securities company he worked for ordering some employees without sales experience to engage in sales, telling them not to return to the company unless they get orders, and to quit if they fail to achieve required results.

An employee of a medical equipment manufacture/sale company said that all 30 employees have been fired on the grounds of financial difficulty, although the products sell well.

It has become clear that corporations are stepping up their streamlining, in particular, personnel reduction. Even if workers are not immediately sacked, they can be driven into resignation after they are forced into an isolation room without work to do.

A lawyer said that a system is necessary for settling labor disputes in which workers can feel at ease in seeking consultations. (end)