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Daihatsu pauses production over safety scandal
The Japanese carmaker admitted it had falsified safety tests for many of its vehicles.
www.bbc.com
Previously in April:
Management’s lack of oversight over testing and the relative organisational isolation of testing work also contributed to the scandal.
Unfortunately that's usually nothing more than a protest move. It doesn't actually solve the problem. Most industries don't seem to have any legal protections for employees refusing tasks on safety or legal grounds.Seems fair given your summary. But also fair is that workers should not compromise safety to meet a deadline. If your boss is asking you to put people at risk, it's time to leave.
Unfortunately that's usually nothing more than a protest move.
It should be more important. But without organized unions, how many people out there will risk their careers for integrity, especially en masse? How many would see one person quitting on principle and not think, "this is my chance for a promotion"? I'm not familiar with Japan's union culture but I do know people don't switch employment that often and their cultural integrity can drive them to fall into this trap as strongly as it can to leave it. In this case it seems like "honor and integrity" drove the whole group further into the trap. Speaking truth to power is terrifying and potentially self-destructive unless you've got legal protection.It's a protest and it preserves your integrity, which is perhaps more important.
It should be more important. But without organized unions, how many people out there will risk their careers for integrity, especially en masse? How many would see one person quitting on principle and not think, "this is my chance for a promotion"? I'm not familiar with Japan's union culture but I do know people don't switch employment that often and their cultural integrity can drive them to fall into this trap as strongly as it can to leave it. In this case it seems like "honor and integrity" drove the whole group further into the trap. Speaking truth to power is terrifying and potentially self-destructive unless you've got legal protection.
Edit: Apparently Japan actually has a higher percentage of unionized workforce than the USA. I imagine that has shifted quite a lot over the past couple decades with the death of unions in America. But like in America, I imagine Japanese autoworkers at the engineering/management level are not unionized.