Japan Press Weekly

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2011 November 16 - 22 [LABOR]

TEPCO will cut by 1,000 number of workers battling to end Fukushima crisis

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Tamura Tomoko at an Upper House Budget Committee meeting on November 21 revealed that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) is planning to reduce by 1,000 the number of workers who are working in Fukushima to bring the damaged reactors under control.

She said, “The downsizing of the workforce will run counter to the ongoing efforts to end the Fukushima crisis and ensure the plant workers’ safety and health.”

According to the personnel cutback plan, TEPCO will reduce the number of daily workers at the Fukushima plant from the present 3,000 to 2,000 in December. Already, some related companies have embarked on plans to reduce their workforce, possibly targeting skilled workers.

The JCP lawmaker reported that the owner of a Hitachi subcontractor company said that he was told by Hitachi that he should lay off 230 out of his 300 employees.

Tamura pointed out that the crisis is far from over and that Hitachi, which built the plant reactors, should be in the lead in the effort to contain the nuclear meltdown crisis.

She asked, “Are you going to allow Hitachi, Ltd. to reduce the number of its workers who are tackling the myriad problems at TEPCO’s crippled reactors?”

Hosono Goshi, state minister in charge of handling the Fukushima nuclear accident, answered, “I’ve just learned of it myself. I will ask for confirmation.”

Tamura criticized TEPCO for being irresponsible by cutting the number of workers by one third although the utility is required to keep radiation levels as low as possible for the workers and provide them with sufficient rest between work shifts.

Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Edano Yukio said that he will instruct TEPCO to not discharge necessary and skillful workers.