Good News for Temporary Tour Conductors: High Court overturns District Court's decision in a case on distorted work hours measurement

Tokyo High Court overturned a lower court's decision on March 7 in a lawsuit that temporary tour conductors affiliated with the Hankyu Travel Support (HTS) Local of the National Union of General Workers’ Tokyo Tobu filed against the travel company over the method to measure work hours and calculate overtime payments. The plaintiffs claimed that the company failed to calculate the overtime hours because of the nature of their work. HTS claimed that overtime hours were counted in their required work hours and overtime pay in their salary. Tokyo District Court approved of the company's claim in September 2011, though ordered it pay unpaid overtime hours and fines.

The high court judge, OTAKE Takashi, approved more overtime hours than the District Court did and ordered HTS pay a total of about 27 million yen including fines. In addition, the judge dismissed the company's claims on the calculation of work hours and overtime for tour conductors that the lower court endorsed.

"We have been struggling for nearly 4 years. We strongly urge HTS to respect the high court's order and treat tour conductors appropriately. We also hope that today's ruling will have a positive impact on the working conditions of all colleagues in the industry," said OSHIMA, one of the plaintiffs, in the press conference. (By Sugano, the NUGW Tokyo Tobu)  

 * Photo: Plaintiffs and attorneys (the poster says  "victory!")

 

派遣添乗員に朗報～「偽装みなし労働」裁判、高裁で逆転勝利

派遣旅行添乗員で組織する東部労組HTS（阪急トラベルサポート）支部が闘っている「偽装みなし労働」撤廃を求める不払い残業代請求裁判。2審の判決が3月7日にあり、組合が逆転勝利判決をかちとりました。東京高裁第5民事部大竹たかし裁判長は、1審東京地裁の判決を変更し、不払い残業代を増額して認定しました。付加金（ペナルティ）を含めると、総額は約2700万円。その上で、高裁は、「偽装みなし労働」を容認した1審判決を支持せず、「みなし労働」の適用可否についての判断も変更しました。原告の大島さんは会見で、「4年ちかく闘ってきた。会社は判決に従い、添乗員の処遇を改善するべき。この判決が自分たちだけではなく、すべての会社に波及することを望みます」と訴えました。（東部労組・菅野）

 ＊写真＝勝利判決を受けた当該と弁護団