Japan Press Weekly

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2017 February 1 - 7 [LABOR]

Keidanren exec firms force workers to work overtime exceeding danger line of death from overwork

Of 17 corporations whose executives serve as top officials of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), all except one set the maximum allowable number of monthly overtime hours at 80 or more, exceeding the government-set danger line for death from overwork, Akahata reported on February 4.

The Labor Standards Law stipulates that work hours should be within 40 hours a week, eight hours a day. However, the law also states that if a company concludes a necessary labor-management agreement, the employer will be allowed to have its employees work overtime up to a particular limit set by that agreement.

Akahata examined overtime agreements in 17 companies whose executives are chairman and vice chairman of Keidanren. Akahata found that the monthly upper limit was 80 hours or over at 16 companies and 72 hours at the remaining one. The maximum number of monthly overtime hours exceeded 100 at eight companies and the longest is 150 hours for telecommunication giant NTT East.

In terms of a daily upper limit for overtime, 13 companies set it at eight hours or more, and ten companies impose ten hours or more, with five companies allowing 15 hours.

Keidanren Chairman Sakakibara Sadayuki is chief senior advisor of chemical company Toray Industries. Torey concluded a labor-management agreement which enables the company to force workers to work an extra 100 hours a month, 900 hours a year. A labor-management agreement in Sumitomo Chemical allows for up to 1,200 hours of overtime a year, the highest among the 17 companies.


Past related article:
> Many companies under Keidanren leadership can impose more than 80 hours of overtime work a month [November 28, 2014]