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NEWS: Anime Subcontractor Studio Easter Sued for Unpaid Overtime

Additionally, the employees claim that when they approached the company about the unpaid overtime, the company told them that "in the anime industry we do not pay overtime" and the company cut their salaries.

taco123 wrote:

Well, while I'm sure the employees produced high quality work, they didn't need to work overtime. They were only told to meet the deadline and it was their choice to go at a pace at which they wouldn't meet it in time. And so, they worked overtime and expect compensation for being slow. In business, you have to meet strict deadlines or you're fired. If those deadlines aren't humanly possible for you, then quit. If you can meet those deadlines but your quality of work would be significantly lower, then turn in your work and talk to your manager about having extended deadlines. Just don't be slow and burden yourself with working extra hours and expect the company to pay you on terms they never agreed to.

The article was quite specific. They were made to work 7 hours of overtime a day, for multiple days. There was no choice, unless you want to be fired for not being a team player.

Normally, salaried workers have to suck it up on overtime. If they were working an 8 hour day, then with overtime you are working a 15 hour day several times a week. But if they are working 12 hour days normally, well you do the math.

They may have a case, 7 hours of daily overtime, is almost like a second shift of work. That is beyond even normal overtime, going into slave labor.

It is so funny to see people bandying about claims, that they can just quit. ANN cast was just talking about how bad the anime industry is over in Japan, so it is quite obvious to see that quitting your job would be the kiss of death to working in the industry ever again. Though this law suit is probably a kiss of death too.

Not to mention how bad the job market is over here to.

This isn't just a problem within the Anime industry; this problem has been going on in every sector of business in Japan for years. I've lived and worked here for several years myself, and from what I've seen the problem stems from a combination of misplaced cultural values and people in positions of power taking advantage of good-natured people.

Do a Google search on "karoshi" and you'll find everything you need to know about one of Japan's biggest social problems.

The worst thing about it is that everyone is always too tired to be productive in any meaningful way, and that's why despite working such long hours Japan's productivity level is often below that of other nations.

This isn't just a problem within the Anime industry; this problem has been going on in every sector of business in Japan for years. I've lived and worked here for several years myself, and from what I've seen the problem stems from a combination of misplaced cultural values and people in positions of power taking advantage of good-natured people.

Do a Google search on "karoshi" and you'll find everything you need to know about one of Japan's biggest social problems.

The worst thing about it is that everyone is always too tired to be productive in any meaningful way, and that's why despite working such long hours Japan's productivity level is often below that of other nations.

These guys are absolutely in their right to sue. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to authority in a society that shuns you for doing so. For anyone who claims that they're suing for too much money, remember that legal costs have to be factored in as well; and those are always exorbitant.

Thanks for clarifying things up. We need perspective from someone like you who works in Japan.

I have a question though. Are young Japanese workers voice their labor condition in openly? I wonder if their misplaced cultural value is one of the causes of Japan's socioeconomic stagnation.

Speaking of Karoshi, how is it written in Kanji? I want to do some research on my own.