Studio 4C Pays Anime Staffer Millions in Unpaid Wages Amidst Lawsuit

A hard day's work deserves a fair wage, and that is what one studio in Japan has learned the hard [...]

By Megan Peters

A hard day's work deserves a fair wage, and that is what one studio in Japan has learned the hard way. A legal battle has been brewing between Studio 4C and a former production employee over millions of yen in unpaid wages. Now, it seems the case has been settled ahead of schedule, and it did so after the studio paid the employee their missing wages.

According to a report from the Asashi Shimbun, Studio 4C paid the production employee 2.86 million yen after a lawsuit was filed alleging labor abuse. The original lawsuit was filed back in October when the unnamed employee said he was owed substantial overtime pay (via ANN). The lawsuit, which touches upon the employee's account of poor working conditions, claims the employee worked over 100 hours of overtime while at Studio 4C.

And if you think that is bad, just wait. The lawsuit says there were other employees at the studio who worked well over 200 hours of overtime. After the employee in question was never given official records of his hours worked, a lawsuit was filed to recoup his overtime pay as well as target other wage violations.

fullmetal alchemist angry
(Photo: Bones)

At the time, Studio 4C said it was under no obligation to pay overtime wages as the employee was allegedly not working even when they were clocked in. The legal battle continued between the parties until the most recent development of Studio 4C paying out the worker.

While the wages are good to have, the employee who filed the lawsuit wishes the trial continued to deliver an actual verdict. Studio 4C has effectively ended the trial by paying out the missing wages, but a representative for the union that the employee belongs to believes the cash out is evidence enough of guilt.

The fact that they paid the full amount of money owed is an acknowledgment that they were unlawfully making him work flexible hours. This will be a big influence on the labor reforms in the anime and screen industries," Shohei Sakakura shared.

What do you make of this lawsuit? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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