Franchise operators in Japan are fighting against 7-Eleven's 24-hour policy, a move that brought the convenience store chain's round-the-clock service center stage amid the country's increasing labor shortage.
Representatives from the Convenience Store Merchant Unio of Japan lodged a letter of request on Wednesday, asking 7-Eleven Japan to allow them to open their stores for shorter hours because they can't "find staff to keep their stores running all night".
The move comes as a 7-Eleven store in Higashiosaka, Osaka prefecture faces a penalty of 17 million yen ($153,000) and the threat of loss of its franchise contract because the owner shut down from 1 am to 6 am when he couldn't hire staff.
But the company said the franchisee violated his contract.
Mitoshi Matsumoto, the 57-year-old franchise owner, told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that he had tried to solicit part-time workers by raising the hourly wage, but still failed to have enough workers to maintain a 24-hour operation.
"I can't manage it being so shorthanded," he said. "There are limits on raising the hourly rate. If I had continued running the store for 24 hours, I would have collapsed."
In defense, 7-Eleven released a statement on Wednesday saying its stores "have not only been in the business of selling merchandise, but have also been operating as social infrastructure" including helping prevent nighttime crimes and supplying food and drinks in case of disasters.
However, the company also expressed intentions to continue talks with Matsumoto by saying it "will support the store so that it will be able to continue 24-hour operations".
"It is common knowledge that the owner had been worked to an extent that could bring overwork death, I think the (7-Eleven) headquarters should seriously consider whether people's life or the image of the chain is more important," Takanori Sakai, executive officer of the convenience store owners unio said at a press conference in support of Matsumoto on Wednesday.
There is a high demand for convenience stores in Japan, with total numbering around 55,000 across the country. The stores' business model relies heavily on part-time workers. The Lawson chain has allowed some of its stores to close at night while FamilyMart is testing shorter operating hours in Kyoto.
