Japan Press Weekly

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2009 March 4 - 10 [LABOR]

Labor think tank finds 4.53 million jobs can be created by requiring employers to strictly comply with regulations

The Japan Research of Labor Movement (Rodo-soken) said that the strict application of rules of employment as well as shortening of working hours will create 4.53 million jobs.

Rodo-soken, which has close working relations with the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), earlier estimated that 2.7 million jobs would be created by eliminating overtime work without pay and encouraging workers to use all their paid-holidays.

If Japan establishes a 38-hour workday, as in Europe, 1.8 million jobs will be created, and this is realizable if 4.11 percent of 403 trillion yen, which corporations amassed as of the end of 2007 in corporate internal reserves, is used.

Rodo-soken also calls for the prevention of workers from being fired through mass layoffs by forcing corporations to use their internal reserves and states that corporations should offer full-time positions to all temporary workers after three years of service.

It also calls on the national and local governments to increase their guidance to companies to comply with the existing laws and regulations, to provide full-time positions to the public sector’s contingent workers, and to enact a law or an ordinance on public contracts, which will ensure proper wages.

Rodo-soken stresses that a fundamental revision to the Worker Dispatch Law and a raise of the minimum wage are essential for securing stable employment. It is also necessary to improve the unemployment insurance system and the public safeguard systems, and to establish a public project for the relief of unemployed.