Japan Press Weekly

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2020 May 13 - 19 [POLITICS]

Diet debate on opposition proposal for better working conditions for healthcare and welfare workers begins

Diet debate on three bills submitted by opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, to improve working conditions of nursing-care workers and welfare workers for the disabled began on May 12 in the House of Representatives plenary session.

JCP lawmakers Miyamoto Toru and Takahashi Chizuko took the floor in favor of the bills.

Miyamoto said, "The fragility of the social welfare infrastructure has come into relief as a result of the government policy of evading its responsibility by imposing self-help and mutual-aid on the general public. A major problem is a labor shortage in the fields of nursing-care and social welfare for the disabled." He proposed that the government directly inject national funds to increase wages of all nursing-care and welfare workers.

Takahashi said, "The opposition-proposed bills are designed to improve working conditions of all care workers and administrative staff, including geriatric care managers, in the nursing-care industry. Under the bills, the government will grant nursing-care companies, if they raised their workers' monthly wages by 10,000 yen, a government subsidy for the same amount they paid for the wage increase."

Miyamoto said, "Under the current system, improvement in care workers' working conditions affects the rate of nursing-care insurance premiums and care usage fees. So, the government should increase the share of the state contribution to the nursing-care insurance program." Also, he demanded that medical institutions be compensated for their loss in earnings caused by the coronavirus pandemic and that hazardous duty pay be paid to workers engaged in healthcare, nursing-care, and welfare for persons with disabilities.

Past related article:
> Opposition parties jointly propose bill to increase wages of nursing-care workers [May 9, 2020]