A self-employed delivery driver for the Japanese unit of Amazon.com has been deemed eligible for workers' compensation after he was injured on the job, a labor union said Wednesday.
Self-employed individuals are generally not eligible for workers' compensation, but given he received direct instructions from the online shopping giant, the man in his 60s was recognized by the labor standards inspection office in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, as effectively being "an employee," according to Tokyo Union.
The lack of protection for workers under labor standards laws who are classified as freelancers but who in practice undertake tasks equivalent to those of employees has become an area of concern in Japan.