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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Supreme Court rules on NTT's wage discrimination

Denouncing NTT's wage discrimination, the Supreme Court on October 25 upheld the Osaka High Court ruling that ordered Nippon Telephone Telegraph (NTT) to pay 13.5 million yen in back pay to two workers, turning down the company's appeal.

Plaintiff Fujii Masao held a news conference on the same day and thanked the court for the ruling and the telecommunication workers union for its support. Fujii also said that he had been harassed in the workplace due to his lawsuit against the company.

The plaintiffs' lawyer emphasized the significance of the court ruling, saying, "The Supreme Court concluded that NTT's corporate restructuring was improper. NTT now must reflect on its restructuring scheme that caused more than 500 NTT workers to suffer unreasonable losses due to wage cuts. Every one should be compensated."

In 1997, calling for an increase in international competitiveness, NTT introduced a system to cut wages by 30 percent for all managerial workers at the age of 55. Plaintiff Fujii Masao and Fujita Munetaka were among those who experienced large cuts in their wages. They filed a lawsuit with the Kyoto District Court in the same year. They once lost the case in the district court in 2001, but won an overall victory in the Osaka High Court in 2004. The high court ruled that unilaterally revised-NTT regulations are invalid, saying, "Revisions of the working regulations were not thoroughly considered and are extremely unreasonable to workers. -- Akahata, October 26, 2005