The Research on the Reduction of Working Hours and Employees' Morale

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A model research is based on the case of Hiroshima Dentetu, a private transportation company in Hiroshima Prefecture. While most of other unions have been losing their power against management in the long recession which Japanese economy has faced, the union of Hiroden is said to retain its power. But as Japanese business environment has been growing worse, the company has advanced further structural reforms one after another. The reduction of working hours, which has been one of the long time social issues, was carried out by adopting five -day week. But against the employees' expectation, it was linked with a new system of shift work, which turned out to impose longer and harder work on the employees. Some departments were restructured. Their wage system, which was predominantly seniority -oriented, was taken place of by the efficiency - oriented system. Since these changes have been made by the dominant power of the management too drastically in a short time, the employees'complaints have grown stronger and their morale has been gradually lowered. Their antipathy and complaints are turned not only toward the management but also their union which seemed to have accepted management's policy easily. It seems that the relationship between union members and the union have been growing tense and confused. This is not only the case in Hiroshima Dentetu. The situations like this are to be seen in every workplace in Japan now. I'd like to continue to make a practical research on how the management-union relation in Japanese industry will grow hereafter