Bar association calls for tighter regulations on use of fixed-term contract workers

Japan Press Weekly

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

Bar association calls for tighter regulations on use of fixed-term contract workers

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations released a statement demanding that the use of fixed-term contract workers be permitted only when employers have legitimate reasons to do so.

This statement was made in response to an interim report regarding fixed-term employment contracts published by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry’s study group.

The bar association’s statement asserts that as a part of measures to address the increasing poverty rate, the existing law on fixed-term employment contracts should be revised drastically. The statement also insists that a revised law should stipulate that employment contracts without fixed-terms must be the norm and should limit the use of fixed-term contract workers to exceptional cases.

As concrete examples, the statement cites two cases; cases in which fixed-term contract workers are temporary replacement for those who take leaves of absence; and cases in which the nature of the business clearly calls for the use of fixed-term contract workers. The statement demands that other than these two cases, employers should be banned from using workers on fixed-term contracts.

Furthermore, the statement calls for tighter regulations on the use of fixed-term contract workers, including a cap on the number of times a contract may be renewed and on the period available for use.

- Akahata, August 17, 2010