Japan Press Weekly

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2013 February 27 - March 5 TOP3 [LABOR]

Chinese trainees win overall victory in ‘slave’ labor lawsuit

The Nagasaki District Court on March 4 wholly acknowledged the fact that five Chinese trainees had been forced to work as “slave labor”, ordering a Japanese sewing company to pay them back pay and two million yen in compensation.

The court also acknowledged the responsibility of intermediaries for having engaged in unlawful behavior.

Their legal team considered the court decision as epoch-making as it calls into question the internship program for foreign trainees. The plaintiffs, after the ruling, embraced with tears and congratulated each other on their overall victory.

They said, “We didn’t trust any Japanese because of the unfair treatment we received and we don’t want to think about that. But, meeting good people like those with the Nagasaki Federation of Trade Union (a local Zenroren), we now feel grateful to the Japanese people who stood up for us.”

The Chinese trainees were forced to work for an hourly wage of 300-350 yen, which was far below the minimum wage, and their overtime exceeded more than 180 hours a month with few days off. The employer kept their passports and bank accounts in his custody in order to prevent them from escaping and constrained their freedom of movement in their personal lives.

With the help of the Nagasaki Federation of Trade Union, the trainees, who are in their 20s and 30s, filed a lawsuit two years ago to seek compensation for sexual harassment, corporal punishment, and various forms of discrimination imposed on them.


Related past articles:
> 8 Vietnamese trainees win back pay [February 16, 2012]
> Chinese trainees and interns seek payment of unpaid wages in court [December 1, 2010]