Japan Press Weekly

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2008 December 17 - 22 [LABOR]

Two temporary workers at Mitsubishi Fuso join labor union to oppose dismissal notice

Two temporary workers in their thirties joined a union to demand the company retract the dismissal notice that was given to them before the expiration date of their contracts and that they be allowed to continue to live in the dormitory.

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), capitalized at 20 billion yen (with Daimler AG as the largest shareholder with a 85 percent stake), has announced a plan to fire 500 temporary and fixed-term workers at its Kawasaki plant in Kanagawa Prefecture by the end of December before their contracts expire.

At a news conference to announce the establishment of their union, the two temporary workers said that the staffing agency told them that MFTBC will stop using them on December 25 and that they must leave the company dormitory by December 29.

One of them, 35-years old “A”, has been on a contract that terminates at the end of March.

On December 17, the two workers joined the Young Contingent Workers’ Union of the Tokyo metropolitan area and began to demand that MFTBC retract the dismissal plan and allow them to continue to live in the dormitory.

The temporary workers are being forced out of work before the expiration date of their contracts. This method of dismissal, which is in violation of the Labor Contract Law, has become rampant among automakers such as Isuzu Motors.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recently issued a directive for prefectural labor bureaus to warn companies against this form of dismissal.

At the news conference “A” stated, “I will lose a place to live if I am driven out of the dormitory. It is terribly difficult to find a job right away. I don’t know what to do.”

“For four years, I’ve done the same job as full-time workers do. So, I cannot accept the dismissal notice without putting up resistance.”

On-street action in front of MFTBC factory

Earlier in the day, the Young Contingent Workers’ Union carried out protest actions in front of the MFTBC Kawasaki plant, chanting, “Don’t dismiss temporary and fixed-term workers! Don’t force them out of the dormitory!” They also urged MFTBC to negotiate with the union.

The union’s 25 members distributed handbills calling on workers not to sign dismissal agreements.