Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Toyota Camry hybrid lead engineer died from Karoshi (overwork)]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/09/toyota-camry-hybrid-lead-engineer-died-from-karoshi-overwork/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/09/toyota-camry-hybrid-lead-engineer-died-from-karoshi-overwork/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/09/toyota-camry-hybrid-lead-engineer-died-from-karoshi-overwork/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Lending a bit of credence to recent allegations made by The National Labor Committee regarding workers right abuses by Toyota is the recent death of a lead engineer on the Camry hybrid project. Although the man died back in 2006, the Japanese Health Ministry has just now ruled that the man died of karoshi, which is a Japanese word meaning death from overwork. This ruling will allow his family to receive benefits from his ex-employer. The 45-year old man is survived by a daughter and his wife, who recalls her husband working long eighty-hour work weeks, along with frequent nights and weekends. Just prior to his death, he was working on shipping logistics related to the Detroit Auto Show, a trip he missed by just one day. Toyota responded to the ruling by saying that it would monitor its workers health more closely. Thanks for the tip, Ledwinka!

[Source: AP via Yahoo]

Toyota Camry hybrid lead engineer died from Karoshi (overwork) originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>camry hybridCamryHybridkaroshioverworkoverworkedtoyotaworker rightsWorkerRightsworkers rightsWorkersRightsWed, 09 Jul 2008 16:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Japanese court rules Toyota employee died from too much work]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/japanese-court-rules-toyota-employee-died-from-too-much-work/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/japanese-court-rules-toyota-employee-died-from-too-much-work/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/japanese-court-rules-toyota-employee-died-from-too-much-work/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We've all heard the horror stories of life in middle management. In Japan, the ill appears to be especially acute. So many Japanese workers die from simply being overworked that there's a name for it: karoshi. Wikipedia says, "The major medical causes of kar?shi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress." From March 2006 to March 2007, 303 people were claimed to have died of it with 147 of those cases acknowledged as accurate by the government.

Thirty-year-old Kenichi Uchino worked 60 hours a week for five months for Toyota in Japan, and then worked 70 hours a week for a month -- and then he died. His wife, Hiroko, filed for workman's compensation benefits after the death of her husband, and her claim was denied. The Labor Ministry said the death didn't come from overwork.

A court in Nagoya, though, had a different opinion, and has ordered the Ministry of Labor to pay benefits. His work schedule sounds brutal, although we know of people who put in the same kind of hours in the US. However, unlike in America, it's common practice in Japan not to pay for overtime. We don't know if that was the case here, but regardless of whether he was being paid, the operative word for any employee putting in those kinds of hours should be: help.

[Source: Detroit News]

Japanese court rules Toyota employee died from too much work originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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