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| New York City 'Sweatshop' circa 1890 (Public Domain) |
Putting in 100 hours
of overtime per month became devastatingly common. At so-called “better”
companies, 80 hours per month was
the new normal. These totals are
actually thought to be on the low side
because many companies did not respond to research
inquiries.
Such overwork has
resulted in death for some employees. Called karoshi,
this tragic outcome is
becoming more and more common. Last year, Japan’s health ministry “identified
93 suicides and attempted
suicides as being caused by overwork.” Karoshi-related
lawsuits “soared to 1,456 in a
12-month period that ended in March
2015.”
Companies often force
employees to put in long and “frequently
unpaid” extra hours. Although governmental regulations against these abuses exist, there is a “lack of
penalties for companies that fail to comply.”
Resources
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/07/new-study-reveals-extent-of-japans-worked-to-death-crisis/
Copyright October 21, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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