Japan Press Weekly

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2016 March 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

Diet discussion on opposition-proposed bill to raise nursing-care workers’ wages begins

The Diet discussion on a bill to improve working conditions at nursing-care facilities, which was jointly proposed by five opposition parties, opened up on March 8 in a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives.

Representatives of the five opposition parties--Japanese Communist, Democratic, Japan Innovation, People’s Life, and Social Democratic parties--attended the meeting as the bill proposers and explained the intent of the bill.

JCP lawmaker Horiuchi Terufumi noted that better working conditions for workers engaged in care services for aged and disabled persons are essential to secure the workforce needed in the industry.

JCP Takahashi Chizuko in response to Horiuchi’s statement pointed out that care facility operators are suffering from chronic labor shortages and a high turnover rate and that the average monthly pay of caregivers is 100,000 yen less than that of workers in other industries. Takahashi said that although state compensation for nursing facility operators should be increased to improve working conditions, the government in April 2015 implemented a 2.27% cut in the compensation, which delivered a severe blow to the facilities. She stressed that the enactment of the bill will be the first step to attract more workers to nursing jobs and rebuild the public care system to properly care for the elderly and the disabled.

DPJ Okamoto Mitsunori talked about how the bill is designed to set up a subsidy program which covers both caregivers and workers engaged in other jobs at care facilities.