June 8, 2018

The Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions (Iroren) has requested the Labor Ministry to apply a specified minimum wage to the healthcare industry so that nurses and care workers will receive a living wage.

Iroren on June 7 at a press conference in Tokyo announced that if the request is accepted, the sector-specific minimum wage will be applied to about 870,000 nursing jobs at ordinary and mental hospitals and about 1.83 million caregiving jobs.

To become nurses and care givers, they have to complete their professional studies and pass national exams. Their average monthly wage, however, is lower than that of workers in other industries. Medical workers and care workers earn about 295,000 yen and about 220,000 yen a month on average, respectively, while average Japanese workers take home about 304,000 yen per month.

At the press conference, Iroren President Morita Shinobu pointed out that healthcare workers give up on their careers largely because they feel, as medical professionals, they are not compensated enough for their hard work. Morita said that the introduction of the sector-specific minimum wage, which is higher than regional minimum wages, will help the union to achieve working conditions that enable medical workers to receive decent wages and work with dignity.

Seeking the approval of the application, Iroren will make efforts to increase support for the specified minimum wage among non-union medical workers as well as among employers. Furthermore, the union will call on its members to push their local assemblies to adopt a statement in support of the union’s demand.

Past related articles:
> 70% of nurses suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome: union survey [September 21, 2017]
> Nationwide action for minimum wage hike to 1,500 yen takes place [April 16, 2017]
> Half of special nursing-care homes in Tokyo are shorthanded [January 7, 2015]