Some of you may have read about and seen the video/screenshot of a mysterious worker who appeared in TEPCO's Livecam of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.Well, he's gone semi-public with his email to a high ranking administration official on September 8, protesting the harsh working conditions for the workers, and he has posted his statement and photographs inside the plant on his website:
http://pointatfuku1cam.nobody.jp/e.html
Scroll down for his English explanation. It's not the perfect English but you get the gist. (Well, actually it is rather hard to follow, compared to the original Japanese which is relatively clear.)
One of the photos he has: A cute poster warning against the danger of heat exhaustion... "Don't get too hot", the girl says.
Here's the part where he explains why he did what he did:
The intention of pointing toward Tepco, the goverment and the claim for them
I claim the concrete improvement of the state of working conditions, entrustment of businesses to subcontract companies, ascertainment of all workers’ employment situations.
As you know according by the reports from some media, there are some workers who have some compelling reason were arranged by the people in the outlaw territory. And they work while hiding from the prime contractor that they are in unfair or harsh conditions.
Even the case of the company recruiting through the Hello Work (Japanese government employment agency), the prime contractor don’t know some workers’ actual employer.
Too many subcontracts cause some problems of the workers’ low wages or not to join the insurances, no contract documents, as known by reports of media.
In addition, I show some of my experiences.
I had some days that I can’t asleep well in the daytime though I had works in late night because the working hours of our room’s members are inconsistent.
There is a rule that the workers have to declare the day’s conditions of their health by writing and submitting the paper. I wrote 4 about the sleeping hours honesty, but a senior rewrite as 6 while I took my eyes off. I think he judged that the existence of a person who can’t control his health is not good for our company.
And, I saw workers who have much extra jobs except the job which the prime contractor knows. They worked so hard for miscellaneous jobs –for example, caring newcomers’ procedures– and they did their original jobs and drove a car in spite of a few hours sleeping.
Subcontract companies compete or appeal with overwork, then the prime contractor obtain high efficiency works with low cost. But some small unreasonable things and harmful effects are not reported to above. They could lead to serious accident in this emergency.
If someone indicates those problems on the conference, Tepco may just answer “we are going to investigate” or “we ask cooperative companies not to do so.”
And great information never will be reported. Only the evidences not to damage to themselves will be reported to above for having been subcontracted.
Subcontract companies and dishonesty workers are not only responsible for such this situation but also prime contractor or Tepco. Even if some workers or the companies were punished severely, this problem would not be solved.
Stern regulations don’t connect the safety measure. This is the important thing we have to learn from the Train Crash on JR West Fukuchiyama Line(2005), I think.
Tepco has to release weaker people from the pressure that they have to hide their overworks. This is hard to carry senses of mission on their back for many people, so we must not to impose the pressures of labor conditions or instability of employment.
I think we should cope with this problem as whole problem of employment system.
It is best that if Tepco employed all workers and companies. If it is completely unable, I want Tepco to confirm the all workers’ contract situation on their documents completry (though I did not make written agreement), and to check if there are fair wages and insurances.
How about grasping if there are enough people on each posts or companies?
Orginally, outsourcing is not to waive the responsible of administration but to consign technical works. I hear that the accident is barely saved from the worst crisis nevertheless being unpredictable. In this case, it is important to avoid human errors from the halfway administration or caring workers.
And my action went through without someone’s check, it gave an example that there is many ways to pick something by someone who were not satisfied on the present state. This won’t change anything if the security will become improved.
It is proper measure to improve the employment situation not to make workers unsatisfied. I hope mass-medias to ask Tepco and the government these points.
■ The intention of pointing toward the people who watches the video
I wanted to make a opposite direction against the observation. We still have put the workers on nuclear power plant as “an exceptional subject different from us” by changing the word from “lower workers” to “heros” or “working people”
I wanted to point it out. I think we can't avoid this on watching something through a media.
■ the intention of pointing toward myself through the mobile phone
I also watch workers and this accident through the media, so I can't leaving out of this situation, I thought. And this action content a self-sacrifice by narcissism, it should not acknowledge unconditionally in the social crisis. Gloomy mind caused by watching TV show should be eliminated by political participation through elections.
My behavior of working only in a short period should be watched and criticized as a slacktivistic pattern.