 Sumitomo Metal ordered to pay compensation for discrimination against women The Osaka District Court on March 28 ordered Osaka-based Sumitomo Metal Industries to pay a total of 63 million yen to four current and former female employees for discriminating against them in wages and promotions. The amount of indemnity is the largest ever for cases of gender bias. Sumitomo Metal has argued that "there was nothing illegal in the treatment of the women who sued the company because job categories differ between men and women." At issue in the trial was whether the court would acknowledge that the company has had internal personnel rules in which employees are graded into one of five ranks without their knowledge. Women are all ranked to the lowest e-grade. The ruling stated, "The company unjustly discriminated against the plaintiffs based on gender as the single criteria." It admitted that the company discriminated against women even among new graduates and treated them differently in wages and promotions. Sumitomo Metal also forced women employees who got married or bore children to quit. Those who refused to quit in order to care for the child were insulted as being "inferior to cats and dogs in maternal love." (end) |