Society

Top court dismisses bonus claim by hourly worker

Oct 14 (NHK) - Japan's top court has dismissed a claim by a non-regular worker that her employer should pay her bonuses.

The woman in her 50s had worked as a secretary at Osaka Medical College on an hourly wage contract.

She filed the lawsuit, claiming that it was unreasonable that the college did not pay her bonuses though she did the same work as regular employees. She demanded the employer pay compensation.

After a district court dismissed her claim, the Osaka High Court overturned the ruling and ordered the college to pay her compensation worth 60 percent of bonuses received by regular employees. Both the plaintiff and the defendant appealed against the ruling.

Supreme Court presiding Justice Miyazaki Yuko said on Tuesday that the college assigns difficult tasks to regular employees, and they are subject to personnel transfers. She pointed out that the college pays bonuses for the purpose of securing workers who can fulfill tasks as regular employees.

Miyazaki also said tasks for non-regular workers appear to be easier than those for regular workers, and that it is too much to say that non-payment of bonuses was an unreasonable disparity.

The justice added, however, that similar claims should be examined on a case-by-case basis if there are any unreasonable disparities with regard to bonus payments.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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