DANGER

Fukushima Workers to Sue for Hazard Pay

Claim they have not been properly compensated.

Four men employed to decommission the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant are suing Tokyo Electric Power and its subcontractors for a total of 65 million yen (or about $600,00) in unpaid hazard money. The men say they have not been properly compensated for the dangers in their work, which includes removing contaminated debris and patrolling. “My health may be harmed someday… I believe there are many people who can’t speak out about this kind of [underpaying] problem,” one of the workers said on Japanese public broadcaster NHK. “I may be fired or may be given no further work. But I hope people will take this as an opportunity to speak up and get paid.” The Fukushima Daiichi plant was damaged in Japan’s catastrophic March 2011 earthquake, resulting in reactor meltdowns and a contamination of the area.