A Japanese town has been ordered to pay about one million yen to the government employees who were forced to attend five minutes before the start of work every day.
On February 26, 2021, all 146 government employees in the Gunan town on Hunsu Island were instructed to attend at 8:25 am, five minutes before the usual time, at 8:25 am. The order was issued by the then Mayor Headi Kojima, which came into force from March 1, 2021.
He was famous for his strict administrative policies, who was elected mayor at the end of 2020, but had to resign in 2023 when a study found allegations of sexual harassment of 99 female employees.
He denied the allegations, though some of his incidents were also witnesses. In a statement on television, he said: ‘I did nothing. This report is not neutral, I want to investigate the allegations in more detail. ‘
According to reports, Kojima used to make unnecessary anger at his unwanted employees and threatened them with disciplinary action or removal.
After his resignation in 2023, a policy of pre -attending attendance for employees was abolished.
However, the employees were of the view that the extra five minutes a day should be considered an overtime. He lodged a complaint with the Japan Fair Trade Commission and demanded a three -year salary in which the policy was implemented.
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In November 2024, the Commission ruled in favor of the employees and ordered the town to pay compensation.
On February 28, 2025, a supplementary budget was presented in the town assembly to arrange the payment, but the money has not yet been paid.
The matter has sparked a new debate in Japan because the country has been facing problems like death due to long -term work.
A Japanese citizen commented online: ‘The company in which I work, there is a 10 -minute meeting in the afternoon, which is mandatory to attend, which is clearly illegal order. Should we also contact the Fair Trade Commission? ‘
Another user wrote: ‘Some companies perform morning meetings with employees, cleaning office and even exercising, though they are all legally regarded in overtime.’
The Japanese government last year launched a ‘work style reform’ campaign for uniform work, which aims to introduce short work, extra -time limiting, annual salary holidays and improved work and life balance.
According to the official website: ‘We want to create a society where employees can choose the work style according to their needs. Our goal is to make a good period of development and distribution and enable every worker to have a better view for the future. ‘
The campaign is known as ‘Hatrakika Kaikaku’, which means ‘innovation in the work style.’
