Japan Press Weekly

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2008 May 28 - June 3 [LABOR]

Public employee demands Tokyo Metropolitan Government pay for overtime work in back pay

In a rare move for an active public service employee, a Tokyo Metropolitan Education Bureau worker is suing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government demanding that the employer pay her 443,710 yen in back pay for her overtime work during a four year period.

Sakamoto Michiko, 57, filed a lawsuit on May 28 with the Tokyo District Court because the metropolitan government did not pay her for 133 hours of overtime work while she was assigned to the Tama Education Office from April 2002 to March 2006.

Tokyo’s ordinance provides that metropolitan employees be entitled to receive a premium of 1.25 times the hourly wage for their overtime work.

Sakamoto says she was only paid for about 40 percent of the hours she worked overtime.

She also revealed that she worked 40 extra hours in March 2006 and was paid for only four hours.

At a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Sakamoto said, “I have requested the personnel committee to redress my situation but was rejected. I wonder why the government refuses to pay for our overtime work. I want to make effort to change this abnormal practice.”

Ito Yoichi, chair of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Labor Union Education Agency Branch, said, “By supporting her struggle, we want to pave the way for eliminating unpaid overtime work at the metropolitan government.”

Lawyer Sasayama Naoto said, “Such practices must not be allowed to take place in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the workplace that should be a role model in complying with the law.”