xcel
12-06-2007, 01:55 PM
Uchino's lawyer, Yoichi Iwai, said the problem of labor abuse was rampant at Japanese companies. (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUST18852520071205?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Toyota_Work_Practices.jpgChang-Ran Kim - Reuters - Dec. 5, 2007
Photo by Michael Caronna - It appears we may be paying for more then just a car where Toyota is concerned? -- Ed.
TOKYO - When Kenichi Uchino collapsed and died on the factory floor before dawn one February day in 2002, he was into his fourth hour of overtime.
In his final month at the Toyota car plant, he had logged more than 106 hours overtime, most of it unpaid. He died from sudden heart failure at just 30 years old.
A district court ruled last week that Uchino had literally worked himself to death. It was a hard-fought victory for his widow, Hiroko, after almost six years of legal battles while holding down her own job and raising two young children.
But the issue of 'karoshi', a household Japanese term meaning 'death from overwork' is underplayed in Japan, she says. Workers are too often expected to sacrifice their personal lives and happiness for the company's benefit …
Hiroko Uchino, who said she was probably the first to speak out in public against Toyota on the 'karoshi' issue, accused Japanese media of being reluctant to give Toyota any negative press, fearing repercussions on advertising revenues.
"One regional paper refused to print Toyota's name, only calling them 'a carmaker in the Nagoya area'," she said. "Another magazine also refused to disclose the company, and when I saw the issue, the back cover carried a Toyota ad." … http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUST18852520071205?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Toyota_Work_Practices.jpgChang-Ran Kim - Reuters - Dec. 5, 2007
Photo by Michael Caronna - It appears we may be paying for more then just a car where Toyota is concerned? -- Ed.
TOKYO - When Kenichi Uchino collapsed and died on the factory floor before dawn one February day in 2002, he was into his fourth hour of overtime.
In his final month at the Toyota car plant, he had logged more than 106 hours overtime, most of it unpaid. He died from sudden heart failure at just 30 years old.
A district court ruled last week that Uchino had literally worked himself to death. It was a hard-fought victory for his widow, Hiroko, after almost six years of legal battles while holding down her own job and raising two young children.
But the issue of 'karoshi', a household Japanese term meaning 'death from overwork' is underplayed in Japan, she says. Workers are too often expected to sacrifice their personal lives and happiness for the company's benefit …
Hiroko Uchino, who said she was probably the first to speak out in public against Toyota on the 'karoshi' issue, accused Japanese media of being reluctant to give Toyota any negative press, fearing repercussions on advertising revenues.
"One regional paper refused to print Toyota's name, only calling them 'a carmaker in the Nagoya area'," she said. "Another magazine also refused to disclose the company, and when I saw the issue, the back cover carried a Toyota ad." … http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUST18852520071205?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0