 42.7 billion yen paid in back pay for overtime work At least 42.7 billion yen in back pay was paid for overtime to workers at 2,201 companies in the last three years. Citing the number at a press conference in the Diet on September 29, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo said, "This has been achieved by cooperative efforts by workers, their family members, and the JCP." "However, it is just the tip of the iceberg," said Shii, stressing the importance of increasing efforts to encourage workers and their families to file complaints about their working conditions with labor standards inspection offices. Referring to a survey the JCP is conducting on its website as part of a campaign for jobs for young people, Shii mentioned a regular worker who is forced to work from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day and another who is forced to work overtime after punching out. "If young people are left under such terrible conditions, Japan will have no future," Shii said. (end) |