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

Nurse with baby forced to retire for being unable to work midnight shift

A nurse at a Japanese Red Cross Society hospital who rejected night-shifts in order to take care of her baby was forced to give up her full-time position and become a part-timer.

The 33-year-old nurse had applied, before she gave birth, for one year child-care leave as well as her exemption from night-shifts after her return to work. However, the head nurse told her, "You will have to quit if you can't work on night-shifts. If you want to continue to work here, you need to become a non-regular staff."

Because her family can't live on her husband's income alone, she had no other choice than to become a non-regular staff against her will. Before she took the one year child-care leave, she signed a contract as a non-regular nurse to be renewed every year.

When she resumed her work as a part-timer on day duty, her base salary decreased from 260,000 yen a month to 10,200 a day, and her monthly income dropped to 170,000~190,000 yen after taxes.

Last May, she became a full-time nurse again thanks to her experience of 13 years. However, she feels anxiety that she may have to give up her full-time position and become a non-regular nurse again when she has another baby.

The Japanese Red Cross Society in a comment stated, "The Society has been instructing our hospitals to give night-shift exemptions in accordance with the law. This case is a surprise to us."

Ohta Chieko, the chair of the Japanese Red Cross Society Workers Union, said, "It is against the Labor Standard Law that a nurse is forced to retire on the ground that she cannot take night-shifts. We've heard of some more cases like this though many nurses have been granted night-shift exemptions. We will increase our efforts so that both men and women in such situations can continue to work as full-time employees."
- Akahata, June 16, 2006