The future isn’t looking very bright for videogame publisher/developer Tecmo.
Earlier this month, Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series lead designer Tomonobu Itagaki publicly announced his resignation from, and subsequent lawsuit against what is now his former employer. He cited reasons such as "unpaid completeion bonuses," and "unlawful…unreasonable and disingenuous statements" made towards and about him.
Now, others are following…ahem…suit, as two more employees have brought their case against the company to the Tokyo District Court on behalf of all 300 of their Tecmo co-workers. The suit claims that Tecmo is guilty of gross labor violations and withholding employee wages under a "flexible hours" work scheme. Under this plan, individuals could and have put in over 100 hours of overtime per month, receiving no additional compensation for their efforts. The suit also alleges that Tecmo has falsified documents in efforts to conceal these practices.
The plaintiffs, including "Tecmo Labor Union" head Hiroaki Ozawa, are demanding 8.3 million yen (US$77,000) in payment, presumably to each employee, although those specific details have yet to be confirmed. If all goes according to plan, Tecmo could be writing checks to the tune of $23 million. That may not break the bank for Tecmo, but it would be one serious dent.
[via Kotaku]
