Kansai Electric & unpaid overtime

March 30, 2017

Kansai Electric admits failure to pay overtime for 12,900 workers

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201703300048.html

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

OSAKA--Kansai Electric Power Co. has admitted to failing to pay part of the overtime wages to about 12,900 employees that account for 60 percent of its entire workforce including part-timers.

The overtime totaled 1.699 billion yen (about $15.3 million) for the two-year period through 2016, the Osaka-based company said March 30.

The unpaid wages are scheduled to be paid simultaneously with employees' salaries for April. The average amount of the unpaid wages per person is about 132,000 yen.

The amount for five employees at the head office exceeds 3 million yen each.

Kansai Electric conducted an in-house investigation, checking the work hours of all its 22,400 employees, following investigations into the utility's work practices undertaken by labor inspectors.

In April 2016, a Kansai Electric employee committed suicide. The Tsuruga Labor Standards Inspection Office of the Fukui Labor Bureau ruled the death a suicide resulting from overwork.

The employee was in charge of dealing with screenings for operating the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of the Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture beyond their basic lifespan of 40 years.

In January this year, the inspection office ordered Kansai Electric President Shigeki Iwane to thoroughly manage the working hours of all employees, including those in managerial positions.

In December 2016, the Tenma Labor Standards Inspection Office of the Osaka Labor Bureau told Kansai Electric that it was not paying part of the overtime wages for six employees working in the company’s head office and ordered it to pay the unpaid wages.

In February this year, the Nishi-Noda Labor Standards Inspection Office of the Osaka Labor Bureau rebuked the utility for having two employees at the Kansai Electric Power Hospital work overtime that exceeded the upper limit of monthly overtime in exceptional cases, which is 200 hours a month. The inspection office ordered the firm to rectify the situation.

See also : http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170330/p2a/00m/0na/018000c