Chinese Trainees Injured During Attempted Forced Repatriation

[Mulboyne]

Mainichi: Foreign trainees injured in row with dry-cleaning firm over measly pay
KOFU -- Six Chinese female trainees at a dry-cleaning company in Yamanashi Prefecture got into a row with the company when they complained that they were being paid under the minimum wage, and three of them suffered injuries including a broken bone, it has been learned...The six workers submitted a written request for their wages to be revised on Aug. 20. The company's president, Masafumi Uchida, promised that he would reply two days later. However, at about 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 22, the president joined about 10 people including company employees and tried to force the six workers, who were sleeping in a company dormitory, to get into a minibus he had prepared to take them to Narita Airport...The trainees resisted, and plans to take them to the airport were abandoned, but one of the trainees was left with a broken leg after jumping out of a window on the second floor of the dormitory. Two others suffered bruises and scratches during the row. The three injured workers were later taken into the custody of the Zentoitsu Workers Union, which supports foreign trainees and apprentices. The remaining three were taken to Narita Airport by company officials and returned home. Uchida visited the union on Monday and offered an apology. "If they were Japanese I wouldn't have done it (tried to force them to leave). I was asked for a high amount of unpaid cash and thought I couldn't negotiate. I'm sorry for their injuries"...more...

[Buraku]

Uchida, it ain't his fault the man was just born in the wrong century and back in the good old days he could have made confederate slave owners proud.

[bolt_krank]

I like the justice ministry's stance on it:

"The failure to pay wages, the human rights violations and other actions constitute illicit behavior, and there is a possibility that this warrants banning the firm from accepting trainees for three years," the official said.

All that will happen is Uchida will say sorry - and 3 years later do the same thing.

[klimmer]

"If they were Japanese I wouldn't have done it..."

This statement, in itself, should justify bhis head on a platter.

[blackcat]

"If they were Japanese I wouldn't have done it..."

but they are not and I am, therefore I am a born cunt with no morals.

What the story probably "missed" is the attemted gang rape...little doubt.

[amdg]

You couldn't ask for a better example to show up the evils of this "trainee" system. Given the unfortunate stereotype of the Chinese laundry, these Chinese people being "trained" in Japan to do dry cleaning is even more of a joke. It's only a trainee system if you're training slaves.

[kamome]

You couldn't ask for a better example to show up the evils of this "trainee" system. Given the unfortunate stereotype of the Chinese laundry, these Chinese people being "trained" in Japan to do dry cleaning is even more of a joke. It's only a trainee system if you're training slaves.

Good point. How much "training" does it take to iron a shirt?

[Charles]

Good point. How much "training" does it take to iron a shirt?

You don't understand, these are Japanese shirts, and must be cleaned and ironed in accordance with unique Japanese cultural conditions.

[/nihonjinron]

[Kagetsu]

What is the minimum wage in Japan?

50,000 yen a month which I'm assuming has already had the amount removed for accomodation being a company boarding house... I can't imagine anywhere being able to live on that amount in Japan... Not without severe limitations.
That's slave labour if ever I saw it.

[TFG]

I think there is only a minimum hourly rate which varies from prefecture to prefecture. Kanagawa is something like 790 Yen an hour.

[Kagetsu]

So really... That's nearly 1/3rd the standard monthly then with their income (assuming 9hour days and 5 day working week... which is not likely in Japan). Not very nice really.

[Catoneinutica]

Uhh...well, the obvious question is: can I get some Chinese trainees to help with MY business? I'll be happy to pay minimum wage if they're cute and industrious! How does one go about procuring "trainees"?