The labor ministry has started a crackdown on so-called black companies that force young employees to work terribly long hours for very little pay. The ministry said it would look into about 4,000 such companies and, if violations are found, send papers to prosecutors. The ministry also plans on publicizing the names of companies that exploit employees through illegal working conditions.
The ministry's crackdown is long past due. According to reports from employees who quit black companies, the conditions included high pressure to work excessive hours — up to 100 hours a week — verbal abuse, unfair salary schemes and even physical violence. The reported conditions at these black companies, if true, are clearly illegal. And it must be emphasized that abusive conditions and unpaid work is more than a violation of labor laws — it is an abuse of human dignity.
The labor ministry must carry out its investigations as thoroughly as possible and spare no efforts to ensure that companies that are exploiting their workers are subject to the full force of the law. Employers guilty of forced labor imposed through unjust physical or mental restraint by such means as violence, intimidation and confinement can face prison sentences of up to 10 years.