Job Discussion Forums

[auckies]

Do they withhold salary in Japan like they do in Korea or Taiwan?

[Shonai Ben]

What exactly does this mean?Please give us more info or an example.

[auckies]

For example in korea my salary is 2 million Won.. But the boss takes 200 thousand a month.. And my boss will keep it until i finish my contract.

Same sort of thing happens in Taiwan..

Do they withhold your salary in Japan.

[guest of Japan]

No.

[Gordon]

A second nope

[cafebleu]

Yes, sometimes a company or school can do this. At one place I worked my boss held over money each month which was then paid to me at the end of my contract as a `bonus`.

This thread is interesting to me, as the other posters have not experienced this practice. Question for others - was I being `cheated` in a small way? I was told this was a bonus yet it was simply part of my salary being witheld each month and then paid to me at the completion of my contract.

I thought it was a bit unusual. Any feedback on this?

[guest of Japan]

Well yes, you were being cheated. A contract completion bonus is just that, a bonus.

If you were promised a specific monthly salary and then had money withdrawn from that to act as the bonus, you were being cheated.

If you had quit after six months you wouldn't have just missed out on getting a bonus, you would have been cheated out of promised salary.

Of course this is "fuzzy math," as GWB likes to call it.

[Glenski]

cafebleu,
Yes you were cheated, and in fact, I wouldn't doubt that what your employer did was illegal. Quoting the Labour Standards:
"the full amount of wages must be paid directly to workers themselves in cash on a fixed date once or more a month."

The underlines are NOT mine.

You obviously understand that a bonus is extra money, not your regular salary or part of it. Who was the employer and how much did he withhold?

[cafebleu]

Wow - thank you all for your direct answer to my question! I honestly can`t think of the amount at the moment as that job was some time ago. No doubt the info is somewhere in my chest of drawers that contains all the job stuff I`ve accumulated since coming here.

My employer was not a big chain school so I had better not mention the school`s name as it`s a small world and things get back to people here. So yes, I was cheated! Thankfully I`ve closed the door on that chapter of my working life here. Thanks again.

[auckies]

Cafeblue!! you can't take credit for the advise in this thread. I own this thread and all its contents.. If you want more advise start your own thread..

This thread is for Sale.. Starting bids at 30,000 Yen.

[shmooj]

Uh oh I feel a flame coming on... and possibly an inordinately long post as packaging

[guest of Japan]

I think that was sarcasm. We might be safe.

[shmooj]

Yeah... but we've been down this road before and I learned that, apparently, sarcasm isn't as widely known as we'd like to think.

[ellienihon]

Don't you know? Sarcasm doesn't exist in Japan.

[Ange]

My school does it. They withhold 20,000 yen a month and pay it at the end of the years contract as a 'bonus'. I didn't think it was entirely legal and realise it isn't a bonus as such. But I did look at it as a good way to save and did get paid my money at the end of my first years contract. The only thing I worry about is if the school were to close down. I know I wouldn't get paid the money owed if that were to happen.

It is pretty crap that they do it but it is not the only school in Fukuoka to do so. When I first arrived I had interviews at two other schools that did the same thing. I thought it must be a pretty common practice.