IBM Japan sued by employees

Twenty-four IBM Japan workers who were forced to move to another company on May 20 filed a lawsuit in the Yokohama District Court against the corporation, demanding that they be treated as IBM Japan employees.

Plaintiffs are members of the IBM Japan Branch of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers' Union (JMIU).

Late last year, when IBM Japan sold off its hard disk division to Hitachi Ltd., it transferred 880 IBM workers to Hitachi Global Storage Technology without their consent.

The transferred workers are afraid that they will be forced to work in new company under worse working conditions at lower wages.

The plaintiffs are complaining that IBM Japan violated the Civil Code which states that consent is necessary when a change in employment takes place. (end)