Zenroren calls for nationwide action to urge labor bureaus to have employers offer direct employment to temporary workers

Japan Press Weekly

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Zenroren calls for nationwide action to urge labor bureaus to have employers offer direct employment to temporary workers

The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) has launched a major initiative to stop the mass dismissals of temporary workers by calling for a nationwide action to urge local labor bureaus to order major companies to fulfill their legal responsibility to directly hire them.

At a news conference on February 17, Zenroren Secretary General Odagawa Yoshikazu noted that Labor Minister Masuzoe Yoichi made clear that temporary workers' period of work as "disguised independent contractors" should be counted as part of the whole period of work as temporary workers, so that they can be offered full-time positions under direct employment after surpassing a three-year term, as required by law.

The current Worker Dispatch Law prevents employers from using temporary workers for more than three years. If employers want to use the temporary workers for longer than three years, they are obliged to offer them direct employment instead of hiring them through staffing agencies.

Referring to laid-off temporary workers, Odagawa pointed out that many of them have the right to claim full-time positions because companies illegally used them for more than three years.

Referring to temporary workers at Isuzu Motor and Nippon Thompson, who have submitted their petitions to local labor bureaus, Odagawa said, "Zenroren is launching a major campaign calling on local labor bureaus to order employers who use temporary workers to fulfill their legal obligation to hire them directly.

Nippon Thompson workers

Thirteen temporary workers at Nippon Thompson's Himeji plant in Hyogo Prefecture on February 16 requested the Hyogo Labor Bureau to issue a directive or a recommendation that the company offer direct employment by invoking the Worker Dispatch Law because the company used them for more than five years that includes periods of work as "disguised independent contractors".

Due to falling output from April, Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd., a needle roller bearing manufacturer, laid off all of the 15 temporary workers even though there were six months to go before their contracts were to expire. In addition, their staffing agency Premier-Line Inc. gave them dismissal notices at the end of March without making any efforts to keep them employed.

In November 2003, 15 workers were assigned to positions at the Himeji plant as independent contractors, and in August 2006, their status was changed to temporary workers. During this period of time, they worked under full-time workers' direction.

Thirteen workers joined the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers' Union (JMIU) and established the Nippon Thompson Branch to fight back by demanding that Nippon Thompson hire them directly.

- Akahata, February 17 & 18, 2009