Increased phone consultations by those about to be restructured with labor
lawyers

The Labor Lawyers' Association of Japan, which has about 1,400 lawyers
with expertise on labor affairs, on December 1 carried out a phone
consultation activity called "restructuring hotline" in 23 places in Japan.

A total of 576 calls came in, and in Tokyo the number was a record 200.

It was noticeable that many people asked for advice on how they should
respond to company pressure on them to retire. There were 187 calls on
dismissals and 77 calls on being targets of dismissals. There were 106
complaints on the pressure to retire, 83 on wages not being paid, and 77 on
worsened working conditions.

Many asked for advice regarding what they can do about their wages being
cut after they were transferred.

More than 60 percent of the callers were men, and in a breakdown by age
groups, 200 people in their fifties form the biggest group.

A man of 52 who works for a major city bank branch was told by the
management that there would be no position for him. In his branch, only a
few people will survive the bank's massive restructuring plan.

A 40-year-old male construction company employee was told to work as a
day laborer on daily wages or quit.

A woman in her fifties working as personnel division chief at a venture
company in telecommunications said she was made to use millions of yen from
her private funds to pay workers' salaries.

A worker of 46 at a major computer company said his salary was decreased
30 percent following a transfer.

The lawyers group tells workers, "Coercing workers into retirement is
illegal. Take courage to clearly reject the pressure and fight back." (end)