Court rules Toyota employee worked to death

[Thai]

Court rules Toyota employee worked to death
30 Nov 2007 10:40:49 GMT
Source: Reuters

TOKYO, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A Toyota Motor Corp employee died of overwork after logging more than 106 hours of overtime in a month, a judge ruled on Friday, reversing a ministry's earlier decision not to pay compensation to his widow.

The Toyota Labour Standards Inspection office, a local branch of Japan's labour ministry, refused to pay the widow the usual compensation for a spouse's work-related death, saying the man had only logged 45 hours of overtime in the month before he died, Japanese media reported.

But the court ruled that the employee had worked far more than that, said Yomiuri Online, a Japanese news website. The Nagoya District Court in central Japan said the ruling overturned the labour ministry's decision.

"We want to think of how to respond to this ruling by discussing it with relevant agencies," an official at the Toyota Labour Standards Inspection Office told Reuters.

The employee, who was working at a Toyota factory in central Japan, died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.

"(The employee) worked for extremely long hours and the relationship between his work and death is strong," Yomiuri Online quoted Judge Toshiro Tamiya as saying.

Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data.

In fiscal year 2005-2006, the labour ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related.

Toyota said in a statement it would further improve the management of its employees' health.

 

[Thai]

The bad news: the guy's family deserves their benefits...the fact that Toyota hide his overtime is kinda sad.

The good news: it's guys like him that has made Toyota 4runner as good as it is...and Toyota what it is today.

 

[Jaebster]

Blood Diamond?

 

[Falls]

Hopefully my truck was not one that he was working on with 106 hours of OT in a month.

Its sad but if you dont like it , get out.

Toyota should do more than give all the benefits to his family , sounds like a dedicated employee.

 

[Uneek]

Hopefully my truck was not one that he was working on with 106 hours of OT in a month.

It wasn't, but his counterparts could've been logging just as much hours building our trucks.

The work ethic in Japan is completely different than it is here. IMO, they have a stronger sense of pride in their work.

 

[josh220]

:iagree:

 

[sharp4runr]

Oh crap! Toyota employee dies in sweatshop while making T-shirts to be sold in Walmart!

 

[Falls]

It wasn't, but his counterparts could've been logging just as much hours building our trucks.

The work ethic in Japan is completely different than it is here. IMO, they have a stronger sense of pride in their work.

I agree.

 

[marjnap]

A 106 hours overtime works out to about 67 hours a week. When I used to be a manager I averaged 75 hours a week. It sucked, but it didn't kill me and I did it for a couple years. IMO the overtime should not even be an issue, most companies in the US pay compansation if you die at work, end of story. From what I understand Japanese are very loyal to the company they work for. In return you would think that the company (Toyota in this instance) should be loyal to the employees family. That just a load of BS and greedy on Toyota's part.