JAPAN TODAY

 

TOKYO — The Japanese government is considering setting an upper limit to the length of overtime work allowed under the labor standards law as part of its efforts to reform the nation’s labor system.

In Japan, companies can ask employees to work overtime once they form a labor-management agreement, which allows up to 45 hours of overtime work per month, or up to 360 hours per year.

Further extra work is also available once management and labor agree to set a higher ceiling to the length of overtime under a “special clause” as exceptional cases, while the government sets no limits to the working time.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is now considering setting the ceiling to the available overtime work allowed under the special clause so as to resist criticism the government is allowing Japan’s notorious long hours of work.

The government is expected to announce a plan for restricting long hours of work when it compiles a scheme to attain the Abe administration’s goal of achieving a “society in which all 100 million people in the nation can play active roles” in May.

The scheme is also expected to include a plan for improving nonregular workers’ pay to ensure equality of treatment for people who are committed to the same workload.

It is still unclear how the ideas on labor reform can take form as it is almost certain the business community will object to such government-led changes, observers said.

According to a survey by the labor ministry in 2013, 40.5% of the 11,100 companies surveyed nationwide had the special clause. Of the companies having the special clause, 15% said they allow more than 800 hours of overtime work per year.



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