Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2018 February 21 - 27 [LABOR]

Ocean research lab to JCP: we will retract decision to discontinue fixed-term contracts

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), a national research and development agency, will retract its decision to not renew contracts of fixed-term workers who have worked for the institute for a specific period of years, it was learned on February 21.

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers' group, after Akahata dated February 17 reported on the law-circumventing tactic by the Education Ministry-affiliated JAMSTEC, requested that the ministry instruct its subordinate organization to comply with the relevant labor law.

JAMSTEC recently informed JCP Upper House representative Tamura Tomoko's office that the agency will "reconsider" its policy of terminating fixed-term contracts. The JAMSTEC personnel chief admitted that the policy was "inappropriate" and should be "redressed or discarded".

Revised in 2012, the Labor Contract Act requires employers to offer open-ended employment contracts to fixed-term researchers and engineers with 10 years of service in addition to limited-term employees with five years of service.

However, JAMSTEC in its personnel affairs document states that it will "place a restriction" on the legal right that eligible workers have. Accordingly, the agency gave notice to workers who fell under this regulation, except for some employees, of non-renewal of their labor contracts, and was recruiting new fixed-term staff as replacements.