Japan Press Weekly

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2008 November 12 - 18 [LABOR]

JCP chair urges cabinet chief to stop massive firing of contingent workers

With large corporations planning to carry out massive job cuts affecting contingent workers in November and December, the Japanese Communist Party requested that the government take emergency measures to defend their jobs and living standards.

Toyota Motor and its group firms are considering eliminating 7,800 contingent jobs. Nissan Motors, Mazda Motors and Suzuki Motors plan to slash 600-800 jobs each. Young contingent workers losing jobs may also lose places to live in.

On November 12, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura Takeo to request that the government instruct business organizations and large corporations to stop the planned massive dismissals.

Shii said that large corporations, which are still making profits and hold enormous sums of internal reserves, have the social responsibility to protect jobs.

He also demanded that a 6 trillion yen in savings for the employment insurance be effectively used to help people who lost their jobs.

Kawamura said to Shii, “I share with you the serious concern of the situation. Wages are being kept down.” He stated that a request should be made to the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and that ways to support smaller businesses with unemployment insurance reserve should be studied.