Japan Press Weekly

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2014 October 29 - November 4 TOP3 [LABOR]

Major national centers of trade unions stage sit-in against rollback in labor law

Japan’s major national centers of trade unions staged a sit-in protest on October 29 near the Diet building against the Abe administration’s labor policy.

The government and ruling parties are aiming to enact a bill to revise the Worker Dispatch Law within the current session of the Diet, shutting the door on temporary workers’ chances to become full-time employees.

In front of the Upper House members’ office building, a woman representative of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) talked about women’s situation in the workforce. She said, “Nearly 60% of women workers are non-regular workers. Many of them often face arbitrary dismissals or termination of their employment contracts due to pregnancy.” Yuzuki Yasuko of the National Trade Union Council (Zenrokyo) stated that a revised Worker Dispatched Law will increase the number of non-regular women workers.” Zenrokyo Chair Kanazawa Hisashi said, “Prime Minister Abe is taking no heed of the actual situation at all and claiming that a revised law will contribute to job security.”

Another protest action by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) took place in front of the Lower House members’ office building. It was the first time in six years for Rengo to carry out a sit-in protest in the administrative district.

On the same day, the Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom held a rally inside the Lower House members’ office building. The association’s head, Arai Shinji, criticized the bill for further weakening the legal protection of workers as a whole. Lawyers pointed to problems in Abe’s proposed labor reform. Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko delivered a speech in solidarity.

Past related article:
> What will come after revision of Worker Dispatch Law? [October 27, 2014]