Murata and Society

Respect for Human Rights

To become an innovator by leveraging diverse human resources, it is essential to respect the human rights of individuals. Based on this belief, Murata’s Human Rights and Labor Policies specify the commitment of each executive and employee to respect, protect, and not violate the basic human rights of all stakeholders. We aim to reduce risks and improve governance as well as to establish sustainable business foundation by understanding the broadening scope of human rights and respecting human rights throughout the value chain.

Therefore, in addition to the United Nations “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights“ as well as the spirit of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Murata supports and respects global standards of social responsibilities including the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), sets policies related to human rights and labor, and respects the human rights and labor of all workers. We will clearly communicate our expectations toward human rights to all interested parties including business partners. We have established a management system to promote these operations. Based on our basic policy on human rights and labor, we continuously run through the PDCA cycle below (P: Identification and evaluation of negative impact, D: Prevention and mitigation of negative impact, C: Monitoring, and A: Explanation and information disclosure).

Management system for human rights

Governance of respect for human rights

Human Rights and Labor Policies

We (Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and the member companies of the Murata Group; referred to as “Murata”) have formulated a CSR Charter, which provides standards to be observed by all individuals working for Murata. Recognizing that human rights are both universal and an important element in business, and that respect for human rights is a social responsibility in the quest to realize sustainable business activities, we hereby establish the following policies:

1.Respect for fundamental human rights
  • (1)

    Murata will respect internationally-recognized standards and the laws and regulations, cultures, religions, customs, and histories of all countries and regions where Murata conducts business, and use these as the basis for respecting, protecting, and never violating the fundamental human rights of all Murata employees.

  • (2)

    Murata will endorses the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the two human rights principles and four labor principles of the United Nations Global Compact, Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Code of Conduct of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA).

2.Prohibition of discrimination and harassment
  • (1)

    Murata will not engage in any form of discrimination or inhumane conduct that harms the personal dignity of employees in employment practices including hiring, wages, promotions, compensation, and availability of education and training.

  • (2)

    Murata will not engage in any form of discrimination or offensive and inhumane conduct that harms the personal dignity of employees on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify or gender expression, race, national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, political affiliation, union membership, military or veteran status, protected genetic information, current or past marital status, or having children including, for example, violence, gender-based violence, power harassment, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, emotional or physical oppression, bullying, public shaming, and verbal abuse.

  • (3)

    Murata will investigate, examine, or confirm matters that may be grounds for the discrimination set forth above to the minimum extent necessary and by necessary means only in cases where doing so is necessary to comply with laws and regulations or to ensure workplace health and safety or to maintain employee health. Specifically. Murata do not make workers or potential workers to take medical or physical tests, including pregnancy and virginity tests and HIV tests.

  • (4)

    Murata will strictly manage personal information (e.g., pregnancy, hepatitis B infection, HIV infection, etc.) obtained through such investigation, examination, or confirmation and shall not use such information for any purpose other than the purposes specified above.

3.Prohibition of forced labor
  • (1)

    Murata strictly prohibits any forced labor by employees in its business activities.

  • (2)

    Murata will guarantee that all employee labor including overtime work in its business activities is voluntary and shall cause managers not to force employees to perform labor contrary to their will.

  • (3)

    When concluding labor agreements, Murata will take the following measures to ensure that forced labor does not occur:

    • a.

      Labor agreements will be concluded in the employee’s native language or a language that the employee understands.

    • b.

      Employee personal identification document and work qualification documents issued by a public authority will be confirmed to the minimum extent necessary and by necessary means when concluding a labor agreement, and demands to deliver or entrust original documents to the employer shall not be made.

    • c.

      No fees, guarantee money, or other monies, regardless of designation, will be collected or received. If any such fees are found to have been paid by workers, such fees shall be repaid to the worker.

    • d.

      Foreign migrant workers must receive the employment agreement prior to the worker departing from his or her country of origin and there shall be no substitution or change(s) allowed in the employment agreement upon arrival in the receiving country unless these changes are made to meet local law and provide equal or better terms.

    • e.

      All workers shall be free to leave work at any time or terminate their employment without penalty if reasonable notice is given as per worker’s contract.

4.Prohibition of child labor and restrictions on the employment of minor workers
  • (1)

    Murata strictly prohibits employment of children in its business activities. In this policy, “child” means a person under the age of fifteen (15) or a person who has not reached the age for the completion of compulsory education in the respective country or region, or the age at which labor is permitted pursuant to the laws and regulations of the respective country or region, whichever is later.

  • (2)

    Murata prohibits the employment of workers under the age of eighteen (18) years (referred to as “Minor Workers”) at night or on days off or in work that exposes the Minor Worker to health or safety risks.

  • (3)

    Murata shall cause managers not to hire or employ children and not to allow Minor Workers to engage in the work prohibited in Paragraph (1).

  • (4)

    When concluding labor agreements, Murata will confirm employee ages using documents issued by public authorities to prevent situations contrary to the preceding three subclauses from occurring.

  • (5)

    Murata shall ensure proper management of student workers through proper maintenance of student records, rigorous due diligence of educational partners, and protection of students’ rights in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. In the absence of local law, the wage rate for student workers, interns, and apprentices shall be at least the same wage rate as other entry-level workers performing equal or similar tasks.

5.Respect for the rights of labor organizations
  • (1)

    Murata will respect and will not infringe on employees’ freedom of membership in labor unions and the right of collective bargaining by labor unions in accordance with internationally-recognized standards and the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conducts business.

  • (2)

    Murata will respect the operations of labor unions, engage in open collective bargaining based on mutual trust, and strive to resolve problems with labor unions through good-faith and constructive discussion, taking into account the labor practices of the relevant region.

  • (3)

    Murata will not engage in discrimination, retaliation, harassment, or any other disadvantageous treatment on the basis of employee membership in a labor union, request for collective bargaining, participation in collective bargaining, or exercise by workers of the right to organize or the right to collective bargaining.

6.Ensuring proper working conditions
  • (1)

    Murata will properly comply with working conditions relating to working hours, days off and holidays, breaks, wages, and so on in accordance with the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conducts business pursuant to internationally-recognized standards. In cases where there are discrepancies between internationally-recognized standards and the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conducts business, Murata shall seek methods to comply with internationally-recognized standards. Workers shall be compensated for overtime at pay rates greater than regular hourly rates.

  • (2)

    Murata shall establish reliable working time management systems, accurately record working time and days off in accordance with such systems, formulate rules for proper working time management, and conduct management to prevent deviation from those rules.

  • (3)

    Murata shall present to employees pay statements in each employee’s native language or a language that the employee understands, pay wages in accurately-calculated amounts by the pay dates accurately specified in accordance with (1) and (2) above, and shall not make any improper deductions.

  • (4)

    With respect to the payment of wages pursuant to the preceding paragraph, in cases where minimum wages are specified by the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conduct business, Murata will ensure that wages exceed such minimum wages.

7.Human rights due diligence
  • (1)

    In order to carry out these policies, Murata will establish a Management Manual on Fundamental Human Rights and Labor Policies, conduct management in accordance with the manual, and make revisions and improvements as necessary.

  • (2)

    Murata will periodically and continuously conduct appropriate education for officers, managers, and employees and confirm the status of such education so that human rights due diligence is understood and effectively carried out.

  • (3)

    If any circumstances contrary to these policies are discovered, Murata will promptly implement appropriate corrective measures.

8.Support for business partners

Murata will request that business partners throughout the Murata supply chain endeavor to realize a society in which these policies are complied with and shall provide support for those efforts.

Murata Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.
President Norio Nakajima

  • This policy is subject to periodic supervision by the Board of Directors.

System to promote human rights

At Murata, respecting human rights and diversity is recognized as a key focus (materiality). Based on our "Basic Policy on Human Rights and Labor," the "Human Rights Committee" was established as a subcommittee to the CSR Management Committee chaired by our president to carry out initiatives and work regarding human rights. The Human Rights Committee is chaired by the officer in charge of human rights and run mainly by the Human Resources, Procurement, and Sustainability Promotion Department, which plays a central role in addressing human rights in the company. The committee serves as a forum for determining company-wide policies and initiatives. When required, associated parties are also included in the committee as members as a means of implementing the PDCA cycle. The Human Rights Committee meets twice a year. For the day-to-day handling of human rights issues, a working group has been established that meets regularly at least once a month to move initiatives forward. The concerns discussed by the Human Rights Committee are reported to and discussed within the CSR Management Committee, and the Board of Directors provides direction on the topics addressed.

Promotion system diagram

Management system specialized in labor rights issues that may occur at Murata

We have established a "Human Rights and Labor Management System" at each business site, which conforms with the "Human Rights and Labor Management Manual." Each year, we aim to continue to run through the PDCA cycle by conducting risk assessments for the business site; proposing and administering goals and plans; monitoring, evaluating, and making corrections; and conducting management reviews. Any business site concerns are reported to the officers in charge of human rights and labor. We are also working toward strengthening the system while consulting with appropriate associated departments.

Operation system diagram

Link: Overview of Murata’s Corporate Governance System

Human rights due diligence initiatives

Murata implements a PDCA cycle, identifying and evaluating, preventing and mitigating, monitoring, and disclosing any negative impact in line with the methods described in the United Nations “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”

Identification and evaluation of negative impact

(1) Identification of human rights risks in fiscal 2020
In fiscal 2020, we undertook an impact assessment, advised by the external experts at LRQA Sustainability K.K.’s, to identify Murata’s human rights risks.
The assessment covered the following divisions: Capacitor Division, EMI Division, High-Frequency Device Division, Communication Module Division, Power Module Division, Functional Devices Division, Batteries Division, Digital Promotion Department, IoT Business Promotion Department, Medical and Healthcare Equipment Group

These represent almost the full range of Murata’s businesses. We held interviews with a broad range of stakeholders about these businesses and evaluated their risks.
Interviews were held with the following stakeholders: persons responsible for each division, persons responsible for procurement, Murata’s four plants in China, Murata’s six plants in the ASEAN region, and Murata’s seven plants in Japan.

As a result of these discussions, we identified the following risks for Murata:

Among these, we identified the following high-priority risks: 1) Forced labor (especially toward foreign workers, minority ethnic groups, and student workers), 2) Long working hours, and 3) Occupational accidents.
Murata procures components and materials and engages in production at multiple proprietary plants.
We see our priority tasks as mitigating the identified human rights impact of our own plant operations and working to improve issues at our suppliers and the plants we outsource to.

< Most prominent human rights risks > Examples of anticipated negative impact
Insufficient or unpaid wages and subsistence wages
  • Insufficient or unpaid wages, or the failure to pay living wage or minimum wage
  • Rewriting contracts or failing to provide social security, welfare, allowances, etc.
  • Failure to ensure equal pay for equal work
Excessive or unfair working hours
  • Overtime work or continuous work exceeding statutory limits, restrictions on the use of leave (paid leave, maternity leave, etc.), or insufficient information provided to employees regarding leave
  • Work shifts based on the assumption of overtime work
  • Overtime work perceived as normal based on local customs
  • Failure to ensure a sufficient number of rest days for safe and healthy work
Occupational safety and health
  • Detrimental physical and psychological effects from workplace accidents and other issues due to inadequate safety and health environments
  • Failure to provide opportunities for disaster drills and emergency action drills
  • Failure to ensure thorough implementation of SDS training
  • No personal protective equipment (PPE) provided
The right to social security
  • Limited social security due to an unstable employment system
  • Lack of understanding of each country’s social security system among foreign migrant workers
Harassment
  • Lack of consideration for diversity and minorities
  • Damage to working environments from factors such as sexual harassment, power harassment, maternity harassment, paternity harassment, nursing harassment, etc.
  • Harassment due to prejudice against employees of foreign nationality and migrant workers
Forced labor
  • Forcing workers to labor, falsification or non-fulfillment of employment contracts
  • Demanding fees from workers upon recruitment
  • Violating the freedom to change living location
  • Violating the freedom to change jobs
  • Human trafficking
Freedom of association and collective bargaining
  • Enforcing participation or non-participation in labor unions or inappropriately handling labor-management negotiations
Freedom of foreign workers
  • Limitations on the freedom of workers through the retention of passports or other identification documents by the employer
  • Insufficient understanding of labor conditions
  • Insufficient consultation points available to foreign workers
  • Lack of availability of employment rules, etc. in workers’ native language or a language they can understand
  • Incomplete awareness of foreign workers (migrants, minority ethnic groups, etc.) within the supply chain
  • Indebted labor due to advances (travel expenses, etc.) paid by the employer
  • Lack of reasonable consideration for religion or customs
Child labor
  • Impediment of learning opportunities for children or violation of their health or safety
  • Recruiting errors due to insufficient checking of the age of job applicants
  • Nighttime or holiday work by young workers (under the age of 18), or other work that risks damaging their health or safety
Human rights related to technology and AI
  • Discriminatory recruitment activities or personnel management using AI
  • Human rights violations through the unintended use of Murata products
Privacy rights
  • Leaking of personal information, sensitive personal information, and other private information
  • Acquisition of personal information, sensitive personal information, and other private information through inappropriate means
  • Use for purposes other than those for which consent has been obtained
Right of consumers to safety and knowledge
  • Causing detrimental physical or psychological effects from the use of Murata products
  • Causing concern or detrimental effects due to the lack of widespread provision of necessary information (substances and materials used in products, etc.)
Discrimination
  • Limiting recruitment to specific groups
  • Discriminatory recruitment through information requirements for resumes, such as photographs, gender, etc.
  • Discriminatory recruitment through pregnancy testing for foreign migrant workers before traveling to take up employment
Rights of indigenous peoples and local residents
  • Forcing local residents to move away from the area due to business activities
  • Deterioration in living environments due to pollution, traffic congestion, etc.
  • Negative impacts on the lives, culture, or religion of indigenous peoples and local residents
Human rights issues in the supply chain
  • Human rights violations in the supply chain
  • Business activities that encourage human rights violations by suppliers or are directly linked to such violations
  • The use of conflict minerals
The right to access help
  • Inadequate mechanisms for handling complaints (language issues, insufficient assurance of anonymity, and process flaws)

Potential human rights risk mapping

Potential human rights risk
(2) Evaluation of human rights impact for fiscal 2023 (direct dialogue with rights holders)

In 2023, given the effect of COVID-19, we conducted local surveys with the cooperation of The Global Alliance for Sustainable Supply Chain (ASSC).
The business locations surveyed by ASSC and an overview of the survey results are presented below.
We are implementing measures to address the matters indicated in the survey.

  • Evaluation of human rights impact at MURATA ELECTRONICS SINGAPORE (PTE.) LTD. (October 2023)
    This is one of Murata’s own overseas manufacturing bases, with an extremely high proportion of migrant workers.
    It comprises two plants: the long-established MLCC business base and battery business base acquired in 2017.
    ASSC checked on-site safety and health and conducted interviews with migrant workers from China and workers commuting from Malaysia.
    < Overview of the survey results >
    • It was confirmed that the labor and living environment was explained to workers in detail during the recruitment process.
    • It was confirmed that fees were not charged to workers at the time of recruitment.
    • From the viewpoint of occupational safety, it was pointed out that it is necessary to improve emergency escape route explanation in multi-language and the evacuation drill to cover all teams.
  • Evaluation of human rights impact at Izumo Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (November 2023) This is one of Murata’s main MLCC production bases in Japan and has a high proportion of indirectly employed workers, including foreign workers. ASSC therefore conducted discussions with our partner companies and interviews with the employees of partner companies.
    < Overview of the survey results >
    • It was confirmed that environmental measures had been taken to ensure a safe working environment.
    • Insufficient knowledge dissemination was indicated among employees at some partner companies regarding the rules for transitioning from fixed-term contract workers to regular workers.
  • Evaluation of human rights impact at Tohoku Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (December 2023)
    This large manufacturing base was acquired through M&A in 2017. We have continuously enhanced Murata’s safety and health environment, and this survey examined the actual situation from the perspective of the workers.
    < Overview of the survey results >
    • It was confirmed that a safety and disaster prevention system has been established and occupational accidents have been mitigated.
    • The need was indicated to clarify the equipment inspection record and improve transparency, including open access to the inspection record.

Preventing and mitigating negative impact

Initiatives so far Future plans
1) Human rights of foreign workers
  • Discussions and interviews with workers
  • Abolition of one-off fees or deposits for foreign migrant workers charged by recruiting agents at overseas plants
  • Implement human rights training for partner companies that employ foreign workers
  • Check employment conditions for migrant workers and foreign workers
2) Long working hours
  • Working hours reduction initiatives and monitoring at divisions where long working hours are relatively common
  • Train managers about working hours management and healthy time management
3) Occupational accidents
  • Establishment of targets and awareness-raising activities to mitigate occupational accidents
  • Develop a safety culture

Monitoring

Within Murata, we are monitoring working conditions and working hours, establishing forums for discussion with labor unions and others, and conducting employee surveys. We are also building systems for evaluating risk at our suppliers.

Disclosure and accountability

We disclose information through the Murata website and the Murata Value Report (integrated report).

Human rights training

In addition to implementing systems and mechanisms to reduce risk, we believe that it is important to train our employees whenever necessary. Toward that end, we have implemented various measures to prevent harassment, such as conducting annual harassment training for members of management and any employees that are responsible for managing a team.

Since fiscal 2019, we have been using e-learning to provide all employees with annual training on our basic policy on human rights and labor as well as on harassment of all types (including sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and SOGI* harassment). We have also been spreading awareness of our reporting service, in order to help prevent harassment. We treat these as valuable opportunities for managers and all other employees to recognize how important it is to prevent harassment. We also include temporary employees and contract employees in these efforts, with the cooperation of their companies. We also conduct CSR-related training including human rights topics, and have established first-response guidelines on what to do if harassment may have occurred at a workplace.

We implement punishments based on disciplinary regulations if workers receive discrimination and harassments, and make public announcements based on the policy (without disclosing personal information that may aid in identification).

  • SOGI: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity
e-learning
General training Manager training New employee training
Consolidated
(domestic)
95.40% 96.40% -
Murata
Manufacturing
Co., Ltd.
98.80% 97.50% 100%
  • Employees only: New employee training only for sites that conduct e-learning, as e-learning is required only at some sites

Lecture meeting

A total of 250 individuals attended a human rights lecture meeting held online for domestic employees in fiscal 2022, on the topic of "Business and human rights - Considering the connections between human rights and business/work at Murata Manufacturing." During the lecture, Professor Sugawara from Osaka University of Economics and Law covered various topics including what is required of companies based on the basic concept of human rights.
Participants also attended a workshop tailored for circumstances at Murata, in which they exchanged opinions and became aware of how perspectives varied from person to person.
A questionnaire was given after the lecture meeting to gather feedback from participants. Based on this feedback, participants felt that it would also have been a good opportunity for members of management to learn, that they realized how important it is to learn about human rights, and that they wanted to take what they had learned about human rights and apply it directly to future issues at manufacturing sites. This suggest that participants themselves will take the initiative to expand their learning.

Content of the Lecture
Level of Understanding

Example of global human rights training

Overseas, we conduct training on unique topics for each group company.
However, we continue to investigate training that can be deployed on a global level, under the belief that the concept of human rights is universal.

Training overseas:

Mechanism for handling complaints

We have established channels that all workers can use for anonymous consultation both inside and outside the company. We implemented a system allowing the Compliance Promotion Office to respond appropriately should incidents of harassment or violations of human rights occur. Retaliation against workers and other interested parties who have used this service is prohibited.
We also created and distributed cards containing information on using the reporting service and are working on spreading awareness through e-learning, so that workers can more easily use the reporting service.

During fiscal 2022, there were 106 incidents of harassment brought up anonymously by employees and temporary employees, with the Harassment Consultation Desk. However, there were no incidents involving child labor, forced labor, or other major incidents that could result in litigation.
All incidents were tackled and handled with the cooperation of related departments, after taking the wishes of the individual reporting the issue into consideration.

Click here for information on the number of internal reports and consultations.
Link: Internal reporting system and consulting service

Other grievance mechanism:
Link: Consultation services for suppliers
Link: Inquiry form (use this to contact us regarding any other information on labor rights)

Track record of responding to human rights issues

Within Murata

Even outside the range of legal compliance, Murata is making efforts to establish corrections for long work hours.
Worker fatigue can result in reduced productivity, increased turnover, and increased potential for injury and illness. We are working to reduce risks associated with overworking by providing employees with healthy lifestyles, both physically and mentally.
For example, we consider engineers working long hours to be a human rights issue, and Murata Manufacturing management is working with labor to improve and correct issues based on the labor-management agreement signed with the labor union.
For example, we established a cooperative labor and management body for discussion between labor union members, business divisions, and the HR Department. We currently monitor business plan progress and working hours every quarter, in order to prevent engineers from working long hours during busy periods in important businesses.
As a result, we were able to reduce engineer overtime in applicable departments in fiscal 2021 to 84% of that in the previous year.
We continue to monitor working hours, and take measures if any increase in overtime is discovered, such as having discussions between labor and management.
In fiscal 2021, we increased paid leave for all employees by three days, in order to help reduce overall working hours (23 days maximum).

Together with partner companies

Murata collaborates with many business partners at manufacturing sites. We consider our partner companies and their employees to be important stakeholders, and promote various initiatives with this in mind.
First, we work to spread knowledge and obtain compliance with Murata's policies through gaining the endorsement and signatures of partner companies, so that everyone working with or for Murata (including partner companies and their employees) understands and complies with our "Basic Policy on Human Rights and Labor" and "EHS Disaster Prevention Policy.”
Next, we conduct human rights and harassment prevention training through our partner companies, and have a system in place to share information on any comments, reports, or complaints regarding human rights or harassment, in order to ensure that our partner companies and their employees understand and agree with Murata's view of human rights.

We also have our business partners participate in SAQs, audits, and other processes to verify their compliance with our policies and identify any potential human rights risks.
Through these initiatives, we have discovered that the level of awareness for systems including maternity leave and childcare leave for foreign workers in Japan was insufficient. Even though they were capable of acquiring them, some workers did not know that they could be acquired at all. We have achieved familiarization by having business partners review education content to prevent similar cases from happening.
Additionally, we found that an agent recruiting foreign workers for our overseas factories had received deposits from workers to prevent them from canceling their travel. To prevent recurrence of this issue, we urged the agent to stop taking deposits from workers, and at the same time, interviewed the hired workers.

Link: Human Rights and Labor Policies
Link: EHS disaster prevention policy

Together with local residents and other rights-holders

As stated in our basic policy on social and local community contribution activities, Murata hopes to be "a company whose presence in local communities is a source of pride and joy to those communities." We consider our local communities and their residents to be important stakeholders, and promote various initiatives with this in mind.

One such initiative is that we strive to consider the impact on local communities while actively conducting local hiring to create employment in local communities.
We also provide periodic opportunities to exchange opinions with everyone in the local community in order to avoid human rights issues and other problems arising from Murata factories. If we receive complaints, we use these as opportunities for discussion. These also serve as opportunities for communication in order to prevent and correct any issues that might have a negative impact.

Due to the increase in foreign workers at Murata, we dispatch Japanese language instructors to elementary schools and donate supplies for Japanese language education, to make it easier for these workers to coexist with local communities. Since we have a lot of Japanese-Brazilian workers, we also support the endowment of Portuguese language courses at local universities and donate Portuguese books to nearby libraries. At Fukui Murata Manufacturing, we are currently conducting Portuguese language lessons for employees. This has become an ambitious undertaking, with the number of employees wanting to participate exceeding the class capacity. After participating, some participants have even indicated that they intend to start greeting their coworkers in Portuguese right away!

It has become especially difficult to provide foreign workers with enough information during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to language barriers. Factors such as lifestyle differences could make it even more difficult to communicate and reach a mutual understanding with members of the local community.
In response, we employed a complaint handling mechanism in the form of meetings to exchange opinions in local communities, in order to obtain feedback from members of the local community. We also worked with business partners on efforts such as sharing information in workers' native languages and approaching local stores and other businesses subject to restrictions under a state of emergency.

We hope that such initiatives will lead to more active communication between our employees and foreign workers. We will continue our efforts to prevent discrimination by respecting diversity and promoting mutual understanding.

Link: Coexistence with society and local communities

Creating fair workplace environments and personnel systems

We are working to create a workplace environment and personnel system free from discrimination, in line with the tenets of the “Human Rights and Labor” section of our CSR Charter.
We will respect the human rights of every individual and respond with dignity.

  • We will prohibit forced labor, and will not permit any child labor be involved in any of our processes.
  • We are completely uninvolved in human trafficking. We have confirmed that there is no risk of human trafficking in any of our processes.
  • We comply with laws and regulations. We have also received no warnings from supervisory authorities with regard to major violations of the Labor Standards Act.
  • We are working to go beyond the standards stipulated by law for working hours, holidays, rest periods, and minimum wage.
  • Employees are thoroughly informed about wage structures and personnel systems, and wages are paid regularly in full and on time. Also, deductions are detailed in pay stubs.
  • In accordance with the laws of each country in which we are involved, we will respect the right of free association and the right of workers to join labor unions, etc. and we will facilitate free communication between workers and unions. Moreover, even in countries and regions where the formation of labor unions is not allowed under the laws, etc. of each country, we strive to promote problem-solving through dialog between labor and management, which is the objective of executing the rights appended to the freedom of association and labor unions, etc. The union participation rate of each union belonging to the Murata Manufacturing Group Labor Union Association is 81.5% (As of March 31, 2023).
  • In consultation with labor unions and employee representatives, we pay the wages necessary to maintain a standard of living.
  • We do not discriminate against women in our personnel system, including the wage system. Regarding the issue of equal pay for equal work, we respect and comply with locally applied laws.
  • We strive to reduce overwork so that employees may lead a life which is mentally and physically healthy.
  • We conduct visiting classes so that foreign immigrant workers will properly understand their rights.
  • We do not charge fees, security deposits, or any other kind of money, regardless of the means or under any name. If any such fees are found to have been paid by workers, such fees shall be repaid to the worker. Using audits and other procedures, we confirm that these policies are also being followed by our recruitment agencies, contractors, and supply chains.
  • Based on Murata’s philosophy of Equity, we take reasonable accommodation for recruitment, wages, promotions, remunerations, and education training. (Example: Applying subtitles during promotion selections for employees with hearing impairments, etc.)
  • During the last 12 months, there were not any public demonstrations, protests, or adverse media reports involving your facility’s operations or business conduct.

In addition, in order to boost our employees’ awareness of human rights, we have translated our basic policies regarding human rights and labor from Japanese to both English and Chinese, and are conducting human rights education as part of our stratified education programs. Our investigation was unable to find any incidents involving child labor or forced labor in any of our business sites or plants, including overseas.

  • To abolish child labor, we have identification check during employment. for preventions.

Comparison between standard minimum wage versus regional minimum wage (Murata Manufacturing)

Regional minimum wage 150,822 yen
Standard minimum wage 173,500 yen
Percentage of regional minimum wage 115%

* Value for major manufacturing sites. Not an average.

* As of March 31, 2023

Responding to the UK Modern Slavery Act

In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act that came into force in the UK in 2015, we have released the following statement on slavery and human trafficking.

Link: Statement pertaining to the UK Modern Slavery ActOpen the New Window