Japan Press Weekly

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2008 November 12 - 18 [LABOR]

80,000 medical workers take part in national day of action demanding drastic increase in medical staff

About 80,000 medical workers on November 12 took part in a day of action demanding a drastic increase in the number of doctors, nurses, and health care workers as well as an increase in government expenditures on medical and social welfare services. They also called for the abolition of the health insurance system that discriminates against the elderly aged 75 and over.

The action was called for by the Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions (Iroren) which is affiliated with the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren).

In Tokyo, about 100 union members from hospitals, clinics and home care providers in Ota Ward participated in a rally during their one-hour walkout in the morning.

Iroren President Tanaka Chieko in her speech said, “Let us do our best to further develop our struggle to improve our working conditions at the workplaces of medical and care services.”

Participants carried a banner that read “No more ‘reform’ that imposes more financial burdens!”, “Increase the budget for medical care and social services!”

A medical worker said, “We got an increase in the number of nurses in my hospital ward, so, at present, one nurse takes care of seven patients. Still, we are very busy because of a shortage of care workers. It is only natural that temporary health care workers sent in from job placement agencies want to receive annual bonuses just as full-time workers do.”

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Three industrial unions together held a news conference on November 11 to announce their first “unified demand for securing a stable source of manpower in the 2009 revision of compensation for nursing-care services.”

The three federations are the Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions, the Japan Federation of Prefectural and Municipal Workers’ Unions, and the National Union of Welfare and Childcare Workers.

In the eight-point demand, three unions urged the government to establish standards for securing at least 200,000 yen in the monthly wage for 20-year-old full-time health care workers, introduce a rule that health care workers must be employed in principle as full-time workers and when hiring temporary workers, their treatment must be equal with that of full-time workers.