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TIME
CAN JAPAN SAVE ASIA?
Salaryman Blues:Whatever happened to lifetime jobs?
DETH OF A SALARYMAN
Japan's once-pampered manager are struggling to adjust to a world where layoffs are no longer taboo
Take the case of T,who five years ago became
sales manager at the Osaka branch office
of film-maker Konica.Oneday,he complained
that he was being paid for only one-quarter
of the 80 hours of overtime he worked earch
month.Bad idea.Eventually,citing dealer complaints,his
boss demoted T and assigned him to an unrelated
division of the company in Tokyo.Things got
worse .His overtime-a vital component of
many workers'pay-and schedule were restricted,and
his base salary cut to that of an entry-level
technician. His name is not listed on the
schedule board in the work room,nor is it
ever called.In effect,he was been reduced
to a non-entity.Says T"It's bullying
of the sort that goes on among children."
Why the harsh treatment?Konica's profit magins
were being eaten away by a strong yen and
increased competition from foreign manufacturers
like Kodak.Cost-cutting programs were under
way,and,T,figures that by complaining about
the cutbacks,he worked into a trap.Several
of his colleagues quit.T stuck it out and
is negotiating a settlement through the Union,but
he still needs a new job.@@