March 3, 2016
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2016 March 2 - 8 [POLITICS]
5 opposition parties jointly submit bill to increase care workers’ wages |
In the welfare and nursing-care industry, low wages are causing staff shortages. While the average monthly income for all workers is 333,000 yen, home helpers earn 225,000 yen a month on average and nursing-care facility workers 223,000 yen.
The Abe government in April 2015 implemented a largest-ever 2.27% cut in the amount of government compensation for nursing-care service providers. At that time, it explained that the amount of state subsidies for covering labor costs will be increased so that care workers can receive higher pay. However, in the latest survey of nursing-care workers conducted by the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), only 21.7% of the respondents said that they took home more in wages than before.
The opposition-proposed bill on special measures to improve the working conditions of workers engaged in care services for disabled or aged persons focuses on the creation of a subsidy program to raise workers’ wages.
Under the bill, care facility operators who want to increase their employees’ wages will pick between the two types of subsidy programs. One is to realize an increase of 10,000 yen in monthly wages for only caregivers at care facilities, and the other is to offer a monthly wage increase of 6,000 yen to all workers, including clerical workers, at care facilities.
If 80% of facility operators select the former subsidy, it will contribute to increasing wages of about 1.22 million care workers.
The Welfare and Labor Ministry estimates that it is necessary to invite one million new workers to enter the nursing-care industry by 2025. The five opposition parties’ proposal is the only way to achieve this.
Past related article:
> Union survey: 80% of nursing-care workers state that PM Abe’s measures did not lead to wage increase [ February 27, 2016]
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