Nichia Corp. to offer its 1,600 outsourced workers direct employment opportunity

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Nichia Corp. to offer its 1,600 outsourced workers direct employment opportunity

Tokushima Prefecture-based Nichia Corp. announced on November 10 that it will offer about 1,600 outsourced workers who have worked at the company for more than three years an opportunity to be directly employed by the company.

This was agreed between Nichia, known as an inventor of the blue light-emitting diode (LED), and the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)-affiliated All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers' Union (JMIU), at their meeting mediated by the Tokushima Prefecture government.

The JMIU later in the day issued a statement stating, "This agreement offers the workers a bright prospect for their future. It is very important that Nichia also promised to make efforts to improve the working conditions of outsourced workers before they become directly employed."

With this agreement, Nichia will offer a one-year contract employment position to outsourced workers who have been working there for more than three years. Nichia can renew the contract up to three times, and will provide them with an opportunity to be hired as regular workers..

Nichia's illegal use of "disguised contract work" was revealed by a 33-year-old JMIU member worker who filed complaint with the Tokushima Labor Bureau. Outsourced from a staffing agency, he was working for Nichia more than a year under the direction of Nichia staff.

The Worker Dispatch Law requires companies to offer its temporary workers full-time positions after a period of one year.
- Akahata, November 11, 2006