3 Mitsubishi Electric Discretionary Workers Suffer from Long Hours

September 27, 2018

Tokyo- Three employees at Mitsubishi Electric Corp. working under the company's discretionary labor system have been recognized as suffering from working long hours, informed sources said Thursday.

They were among five Mitsubishi Electric workers recognized in 2014-2017 as suffering from mental disorders or brain diseases caused by long work hours, the sources said.

Under a discretionary work system, workers are paid preset wages linked to fixed overtime hours than the actual hours worked. The system is viewed by some as encouraging long work hours.

The Japanese government had removed a provision that would expand the scope of workers eligible for discretionary labor from work-style reform legislation that became law in June, after flaws in data were found in a labor ministry survey that it used to justify the expansion.

Mitsubishi Electric abolished its discretionary work system, which had covered some 10,000 employees, in March this year, while denying that the recognition of the three discretionary workers as suffering from long work hours was the direct reason behind its decision.

The five Mitsubishi Electric employees were engineers or researchers related to system development. Of them, two committed suicide induced by overwork. The suicides and disorders occurred between 2012 and 2016.

In a statement, Mitsubishi Electric said it is taking the matter seriously.

In 2016, a male Mitsubishi Electric researcher in his 30s was recognized as suffering from an adjustment disorder caused by working over 100 hours overtime per month.

In February last year in response, the firm established an organization to ensure that its workers, including those covered by the discretionary work system, are working appropriate hours. Jiji Press