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2017 July 19 - 25 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Tokyo gov’t gives Dentsu one-month suspension from participating in public works bidding

July 21, 2017
In response to a request from the Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group, the metropolitan government on July 19 decided to suspend a major advertising agency, Dentsu, from participating in the bidding for public works contracts for a month.

Dentsu was indicted by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office for violation of the Labor Standards Act. The company forced a female worker in her early 20s to work overtime exceeding the upper limit set by the company’s labor-management agreement under Article 36 of the Labor Standards Act.

The JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group on July 13 urged the Tokyo metropolitan government to take measures against Dentsu such as a suspension from bidding. JCP assembly person Shimizu Hideko said, “A young worker who just started her career committed suicide due to excessively heavy workloads. The Tokyo government should take stringent measures against Dentsu.”

JCP lawmaker Yonekura Haruna on March 1 at a plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly demanded that Dentsu be barred from bidding for public works contracts when the company is indicted for labor law violation in order to prevent future deaths from overwork and exessive working hours.

A Tokyo government official in reply said, “If the Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirms the fact that Dentsu is guilty of a breach of labor laws, the Tokyo government will deal with Dentsu in accordance with proper procedures.”

In fiscal year 2016, Dentsu won 30 contracts worth about two billion yen, which included contracts for advertising and other projects for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Past related articles:
> JCP urges Tokyo gov’t to restrict Dentsu participation in bidding [July 14, 2017]
> Tamura: Dentsu uses ‘work hour self-report system’ to evade overtime rules [February 1, 2017]
> Dentsu accused of violating work hour rules [December 28 and 29, 2016]

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