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Over 80% of Japan's transport operators found to have breached labor rules

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320 hours per month!?!?! In a 30 day month that is more than 10 hours a day with no day off!!! Holy cow...Find a different job!!!

14 ( +15 / -1 )

You might as well change the headline to "80% of Japanese Companies Found To Have Breached Labor Rules."

Forced overtime, unclocked hours, multiple types of '-hara' are rife in all levels.

That it's happening in transport companies is just more dangerous since when a city office worker falls asleep at their desk, the worst they can do is headbutt a keyboard.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Oh this is just the tip. My wife's sister's boyfriend worked as a trucker. 7 days a week, one day a month off, from early mornings till late nights. It's as a poster said above, slave-work.

This is all due to the governments putting laws into effect that have no teeth. We "URGE" companies to let their staff take time off.

Yeah right pfff.

That is how 'the world's third largest economy' was built.

This!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

No wonder they have such practice, those industries encounter difficulties to find new recruits.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

a 40 hour work week with weekends off and 2+ weeks vacation would seem like a dream to them

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Nordic style day fines for companies. If driver causes accident due to exhaustion, then company pays 15% of annual income. If driver causes vehicular manslaughter due to exhaustion, then the company faces corporate death penalty - it is dissolved and drivers and victims get the assets.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

"Automobile drivers will be exempted for five years from a legal overtime cap to be introduced at major firms in April next year"

Like I said, lip-service laws. This is Japan.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

More than 80 percent of Japanese operators hiring truck, bus and taxi drivers supervised by authorities last year were found to have breached labor rules, with illegal overtime work accounting for more than half of those violations, according to a recently released government survey.

"Supervised by authorities"? Sounds to me that the "authorities" need to be supervised themselves.

Oh and what about the drivers that are NOT supervised? What kind of hours are they working?

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Labour Ministry should be fired and start over with human beings

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The survey found some truck drivers were on duty for about 320 hours per month, exceeding the basic upper limit of 293 hours set by the government.

320 hours equals two months work in a single month @40 hours per week or, 2 years work in a single year. I'm quite sure these drivers did not receive 2 years salary in a single year as well. There is a word for people who are forced to work without pay. They are called, slaves. It's very easy to build a strong economy when you don't pay your workers for the hours they work. That is how 'the world's third largest economy' was built.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Automobile drivers will be exempted for five years from a legal overtime cap to be introduced at major firms in April next year

So office workers have their overtime capped but people responsible for driving multi-tonne vehicles through residential areas are not? If anything this should be the other way around.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

293 hours set by the government. holy cr@p thats 9.7hr shifts everyday with no holidays, becomes 11.2 if you have one day off a week. 320days 10.6hrs no holiday, 12.3 one day off a week. thats no a job that borderline slavery.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Anyone surprised? They need the same laws as bus drivers where companies can be fined serious money for breaches.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

So, the problem is a lack of workforce and cutting wages, isn't that the opposite of how economics works? Increase wages and I'm sure the lack of workforce problem will go away.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

yeah, this is great and all recognizing the problems, but how about the government actually do something about it? how about we see some heavy fines, arrests, boycotts, strikes, whatever, anything to make the necessary changes needed?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

ZENJI - I drive Tour Coaches. I am able to work 14 hour days to a maximum of 70 hours before I have to have a 24 hour break, this does not mean a day and night off, for instance I could finish at 3am and start back at 3am the next day, so I work 7 days a week anyway. $17.50 per hour, no bonus, no overtime rates.

Coach drivers in Australia can only drive 6 hours in a shift with a 12 hour break. If the trip is longer than 6 hours there must be another driver on board. For extra long trips there are reserve drivers at road stops where they change drivers. How they treat drivers is criminal and extremely dangerous. Maybe you do love your job, but it is killing you.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Not surprising!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

NO WAY !!!!! Things like this NEVER happen in Japan !!! :-/

3 ( +3 / -0 )

over 80%? 100% is over 80%

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I use to be a HGV driver here in the UK I use to do these hours pretty regally, 70-80 per week was common, one way to put a kerb on these excessive hours is to fit digital tachographs in the lorry or bus's they are a electronic box that monitors, speed, time, distance, braking and acceleration, it records all movement ! large companies would undercut prices just to get the work, and as a result drivers wages were cut to be more competitive ( or subsidies the co) as a result of working ridiculous long hours It was common and probably still is for drivers to fall a sleep for a micro second or longer at the wheel, leading to fatal accidents, when they were first installed into HGV's etc there was an out cry about the spy in the cab, but the up side is it tells bosses that they can't push the drivers to do these silly amounts of hours as these machines trace all of the drivers movements AND the drivers can be prosecuted ages after the offence occurred, so driver are made responsible for the driving hours and actions. as it as the present in Japan its a free for all for the bosses, and if there is a problem the driver gets the blame.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

All OK until accidents start happening, then denials and finger pointing will start.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

So I can’t find a parking space in the combini.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

cannot believe. 293 is way too much, hopefully government will adjust to a lower number with one day off per week.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Over 80% of ALL companies in Japan are guilty of the same practices.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

320 hours per month!?!?! In a 30 day month that is more than 10 hours a day with no day off!!! Holy cow...Find a different job!!!

For bus drivers, some of this time is just lounging in the parked bus with the motor running.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I drive Tour Coaches. I am able to work 14 hour days to a maximum of 70 hours before I have to have a 24 hour break, this does not mean a day and night off, for instance I could finish at 3am and start back at 3am the next day, so I work 7 days a week anyway. $17.50 per hour, no bonus, no overtime rates.

36 years as a driver. WHY? because I love the job.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

*That is how 'the world's third largest economy' was built*.

This!

Silly remark, and yea don't bite the hand that feeds you :)

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

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