Learn in the textbookLabor-Related Laws and Regulations
DefinitionAn Article-36 agreement (36協定) is a written labor-management agreement between an employer and a workers' representative that allows overtime work beyond the statutory hours, or work on days off.
ExplanationOn the workers' side, the agreement is signed by a labor union organized by a majority of the workers, or, if there is none, by a person representing a majority of the workers. The agreement states things such as the reasons for overtime and holiday work and the upper limit on hours. Making people work beyond the agreement's range violates the Labor Standards Act.
AnalogyThe door to overtime is locked by default, and it opens only after the company and the workers' representative make a key together and register it with the authorities.
Memory hookThe "36" is an article number: the agreement is set out in Article 36 of the Labor Standards Act, which is why it is called a "saburoku" (three-six) agreement in Japanese.