Four workers employed in decommissioning the crippled Fukushima
nuclear power plant are to sue operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO)
and some subcontractors. They are demanding millions of yen in unpaid danger
money, their lawyer said on Tuesday.
The four men, two of whom are still working at the Fukushima Daiichi
plant, will demand the companies pay a total of 65 million yen, mostly
in hazard allowances.
The workers, whose ages range from those in their 30s to their 60s,
say they have not been properly compensated for the risks their work
entails, including removing contaminated debris and patrolling at the
plant.
The suit will be filed with the Iwaki branch of the Fukushima District Court on Wednesday, according to lawyer Tsuguo Hirota.
It is the first time that workers still employed at the plant have
launched legal action against TEPCO over remuneration and working
conditions, despite widespread reports of exploitation and abuses.
“My health may be harmed some day… I believe there are many people
who can’t speak out about this kind of (underpaying) problem,” one of
the workers told public broadcaster NHK.
“I may get fired or may be given no further work. But I hope people
will take this as an opportunity to speak up and get paid,” he said.
A massive tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March
2011 smashed into the plant on Japan’s northeastern coast, sending
reactors into meltdown and contaminating a wide area.
TEPCO, one of the world’s largest utilities, has routinely used
several layers of contractors and subcontractors in the clean-up and
decommissioning work at Fukushima.
Of the 6,000 people working at the plant every day over the last two
months, only a handful are directly employed by TEPCO. Allegations
continue to swirl that organized crime has had a hand in staffing
subcontractors at the bottom of the food chain.
The sometimes murky arrangements mean that despite pledges by TEPCO
of extra cash for employees, it is often difficult to tell if the money
filters through to the people at the sharp end, or is skimmed off at one
of the many intermediary levels.
TEPCO had no immediate comment on the case, but said it would wait to hear what the plaintiffs said in court.
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