Bereaved parents sue former Watami president for daughter’s suicide due to overwork

MORI Tsuyoshi and Yuko filed a lawsuit against the Japanese pub chain Watami Co. and its former president WATANABE Miki, a member of the upper house, at the Tokyo District Court on Dec. 9 in demand for 153 million yen for their daughter’s death. They claim that Watanabe and his company breached the management’s obligation to maintain workplace safety.

In February 2012, the State decided the death of 26-year-old MORI Mina as a case of work- related death caused by karoshi or death from overwork. Mori committed suicide in June 2008, two months after she was hired as a regular employee at Watami.

  Mori’s parents joined the National Union of General Workers, Tokyo Tobu, after their daughter’s death to pursuit the investigation and cause of her death so as the company never to repeat the same tragedy.(National Union of General Workers, Tokyo Tobu)

*Photo: The bereaved entering the court for filing a suit

ワタミ過労死遺族がワタミと渡辺美樹参議院議員らを提訴

 
大 手居酒屋チェーン「和民」で正社員だった森美菜さん（当時26歳）が入社2カ月後の2008年6月に自殺し、昨年2月に国が過労による労災と認定した問題 で、遺族である両親の豪さんと祐子さんが、ワタミとその社長だった渡辺美樹参議院議員らに対し、12月9日、森さんの死亡は会社と経営者らの安全配慮義務 違反に原因があるとして約1億5300万円の損害賠償を求める訴えを東京地裁に起こしました。その後、遺族が加入している全国一般東京東部労組と弁護団と ともに厚生労働省で記者会見を行いました。（東京東部労組）

＊写真＝提訴のため東京地裁に入る遺族ら