 JR West train drivers are spied on by plain-clothed superiors Following a fatal derailment at West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in April, there are growing concerns about the company's personnel management that increases pressures on workers. Akahata of May 20 reported that at the Hiroshima Office of JR West, members of the management dressed in plain clothes used to get on trains to monitor the driver's minute actions and sometimes secretly photographed them with video cameras. A driver who is a National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)-affiliated trade union local deputy secretary told Akahata that he had been watched by three plain-clothed men, one at a time, in early May after the derailment in Amagasaki on the Fukuchiyama Line. It was not on the spot, but later that he was cautioned about his braking technique, the angle of his fingers, and the volume of his voice in confirming signals. The driver said. "Such sneaky ways of monitoring will make the driver nervous and disrupt safety." Another driver at the Hiroshima office said that he was penalized in 2002 with a 50,000 yen cut in bonus, 25 percent cut in pay raise, and forced to clean train for one month for failure to lock the operator's booth and of using a soft voice in calling out the signal. Workers whose task is to maintain the tracks were also secretly photographed with video cameras to check whether their actions upon entering the tracks abide by the rules or not. Secret photographing was made an issue at at the Sanyo main Line several years ago and was stopped because of a protest from the union. The practice, however, seems not to have ended completely. The publicity paper of JR West Hiroshima states, " We think it necessary for superiors in plain clothes to ride trains to provide guidance. We will continue the practice as required." - Akahata May 20, 2005 |