Japan Press Weekly

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2010 January 27 - February 2 [LABOR]

NTT contract workers forced to be temps: JCP Daimon reveals

“Whether the government can regulate NTT’s illegal labor practice is a key test of its intention to improve the working conditions of non-regular workers,” said Daimon at the January 27 House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting, calling for drastic revision of the Worker Dispatch Law.

The government is NTT’s biggest shareholder.

NTT East-Hokkaido has forced 680 out of 700 contract workers to be hired by a staffing agency in its group as on-call temporary workers, threatening to dismiss them if they would not accept this transfer.

The contract workers have been doing the same job as regular workers for less than half the pay of regular employees. They have renewed one-year contracts for five to eight years.

Daimon stated, “NTT East has two trillion yen in internal reserves. Making huge profits with the sacrifice of workers, it is now turning them into disposable temps. Such a practice should not be left in place.”

Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio said, “Illegal practices should be appropriately dealt with.”

The JCP representative pointed out, “NTT carries out such labor practice because it anticipates that the government will leave some loopholes in the Worker Dispatch Law even after revising it.”

In drafting amendments to the Worker Dispatch Law, the Hatoyama Cabinet plans to postpone a ban on a use of on-call temporary workers for up to five years.
- Akahata, January 28, 2010