They were deceived into believing if they worked HARD everything would be alright

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i9C6c_X2B-52uk_9Ms-eoQJ3pMxQ

Wave of layoffs dashes Japanese myth of job for life

1 day ago

TOYOTA, Japan (AFP) — Temporary workers like Toshie Helena Oguihara were a driving force behind Japan's economic recovery in recent years, but when the recession returned they found themselves first in the firing line.

Japanese companies have announced thousands of lay-offs among contract or temporary employees in recent weeks in response to the economic crisis.

The wave of job cuts has shattered the myth that a job is for life in Asia's largest economy, which traditionally prided itself on a middle-class lifestyle.

When auto plants slowed their assembly lines due to slumping demand, Oguihara -- a 50-year-old Japanese-Brazilian -- was among those out of a job.

The small subcontractor plant producing air-conditioning compressors for Japan's leading automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., no longer needed her.

"I was fired because I was a Brazilian, and a temporary employee, even though I had been a hard worker for the past three years," said Oguihara, one of some 300,000 Japanese Brazilians in Japan who are allowed to stay longer than most unskilled foreign workers because of their ancestral ties. snip

It's not just foreigners losing their jobs. Japanese temporary workers -- who make up an increasingly large share of the workforce following the deregulation of the labour market in recent years -- have also been affected.

"It's outrageous. I've been working hard to one day become a permanent worker, but that dream was crushed," said Hidetomo Kita, 37, a temporary worker who lost his job at truck maker Hino Motors in November.

"They've exploited us when they were busy, then shed us even though we worked as much as permanent employees did. It's so unfair," Kita said, adding that he was worried as his wife, a temporary worker for another manufacturer, was also on the verge of losing her job.

[StudsT]

1. I hope they go back to their tradition of lifetime employment for lifetime loyalty and hard work

following our model will only lead to serious social disruption.

StudsT

[fasttense]

2. And so were we. n/t

[WinkyDink]

3. Join the club.

[Danascot]

4. Japan's economy has been in recession

for 18 years despite the successes of many of it's international companies.

Let's hope our leaders deal with our current crisis with more skill.

(So far not so much.)

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Horse: "I will work harder." Remember what happened to Horse.

("Animal Farm" for the uninitiated)

[Skittles]

6. working hard means nothing now