Largest number of companies received administrative advise to eliminate unpaid overtime work

In 2003, labor standards inspection offices advised more than 18,500 business establishments throughout Japan to eliminate unpaid overtime work. The number was the largest in the last 30 years.

The offices carried out regular inspections of 121,031 companies in 2003 and advised 18,511 of them, about 1,500 more than the previous year, to stop forcing employees to work overtime without pay.

About 26 billion yen had been paid by companies to workers in back pay for overtime work between April 2001 when the labor ministry issued a circular calling for the elimination of unpaid overtime work, and December 2003.

In the Diet since 1976, the Japanese Communist Party more than 240 times has demanded that the government make efforts to get rid of unpaid overtime work.

JCP House of Councilors member Koike Akira made the following comment:

The JCP Diet members have revealed that unpaid overtime work is a corporate crime and that the abolition of such work will help create 1,600,000 new jobs. Together with JCP workplace branch members, they led efforts to encourage workers to report their severe working conditions to labor standard inspection offices.

In the last 3 years, the labor ministry twice issued a circular advising employees to eliminate unpaid overtime work. The increase in the number of advised companies is a result of such administrative efforts.

However, it is only the "tip of the iceberg". To change government policy subservient to large corporations is the fastest and surest way to get rid of unpaid overtime work.

The JCP has submitted a bill to abolish unpaid overtime work to the current Diet session. It will continue to strive to defend workers' living conditions and to abolish unpaid overtime work. (end)