Women workers fight against discrimination

In their 8-year-court struggle to end discrimination against women at a major steel and engineering company, four women workers have been fighting their company's illegal labor management.

The plaintiffs, four women employees of the Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., are demanding that the company equally treat employees who have the same academic background. The company was insisting that it gives men and women different treatment not because of their sex but because of where they are employed. According to the company, men are hired by the head office while women are hired by its branches.

However, it was discovered that Sumitomo had a "secret personnel policy" that divides all workers into five categories. Which position employees are promoted to and how much money they receive as salary depend on which category they are placed in. Women workers are all placed in the lowest category no matter what kind of academic background they have.

Kitagawa Kiyoko, the oldest plaintiff who retired after working for Sumitomo for more than 40 years, had been receiving an annual salary which had been about 5 million yen lower than a male worker in "Rank 2," having the same academic background as her. Although about 90 percent of male employees in "Rank 2" are promoted to assistant manager by their 23rd year at Sumitomo, women have been employed with no such promotion for longer than 30 years. (end)