Japan: Railway operator cuts train driver's wages due to a one

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Photo: Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Japanese trains are widely praised for their punctuality, but the minute-accurate timekeeping sometimes leads to curious disputes: A case is being heard in the Okayama District Court in western Japan that involves a one-minute delay.

Because of this minute, a Japanese train driver's wages were cut by the equivalent of 33 cents.

As the newspaper "Yomiuri Shimbun" reports, the train driver was supposed to bring a train to a depot in Okayama station in June 2020, but was waiting for it to arrive on the wrong track.

He only noticed his mistake when another train pulled in.

He rushed to the correct platform, but arrived two minutes late, which ultimately led to a one-minute delay in departure and a one-minute delay in parking the train at the depot.

His employer, West Japan Railway, then deducted 85 yen (around 65 cents) from his July salary.

The reason: He did not do any work in the two minutes in which the switch was delayed.

After the driver took the matter to an employee registration office, the rail operator reduced the wage deduction to 43 yen for one minute of delay.

Since the driver still considered this to be inappropriate, he went to court - and is now demanding almost 17,000 euros in damages, including for "mental agony".

He only made a small mistake and did not stay away from work.

The employer, on the other hand, maintains that the principle of "no work, no wages" applies.

The case is discussed controversially in the Japanese media.

vet / AFP