labor2

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Zenroren calls for a national struggle to stop 'labor contract law' that guts labor laws

The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) has organized a task force to help step up the struggle to thwart the government plan to have the "labor contract law" enacted, apparently with the aim of helping employers reduce labor costs.

At the September 22 meeting of the task force, Ikuma Shigemi, Zenroren vice president who chairs the task force, said, "The 'labor contract law' is designed to provide a framework making it easier for companies to dismiss workers in the name of restructuring. But there are aspects that are difficult for workers to understand. It is necessary for us to expound on the dangerous character of the 'labor contract law'."

Zenroren's initiative came in the wake of the publication on September 12 of the final report by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's study group giving details of the "labor contract law."

With labor conditions increasingly becoming detrimental to workers due to the introduction of the performance-based wage system, the practice of tailoring working conditions to each worker, an increase in the number of non-regular employees, and the decline in organized labor, it is important to enable workers to conclude a labor contract with employers on an equal footing.

But the study group's final report fails to mention how workers' rights should be protected. Clearly, it is intended to dissociate workers from the Labor Standards Law that is intended to protect workers, and place them under "lax rules" established by the "labor contract law" to the benefit of companies.

The "labor contract law" will give employers the freedom of dismissals. The final report openly calls for the present Labor Standards Law provisions regulating dismissals to be replaced by "labor contract legislation."

In the final report, the study group proposes introducing two systems to enable employers to fire workers at their will.

One is to allow employers to use monetary incentives to terminate employment contracts even though a court may invalidate the dismissal.

The other is to allow employers to notify workers of cutbacks on working conditions, including pay cuts. In this case workers will be forced to choose between quitting and going to court.

The study group also calls for a review of the Labor Standards Law provisions regulating working hours, the aim being to allow employers to force workers to work overtime without pay. This is precisely what the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) called for in June in its "proposal on white collar exemption." -- Akahata, September 14 & 23, 2004