Japan Press Weekly

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2013 June 5 - 11 [LABOR]

Five gov’t workers’ dismissals nullified

The National Personnel Authority (NPA) on June 10 made a judgment to invalidate the dismissals of five government workers who had been fired in association with the privatization of the Social Insurance Agency (SIA).

The SIA was a department of the Welfare Ministry, which administered the affairs of public pension insurance. At the end of 2009, the government outsourced the work to a private entity, dismissing a total of 525 employees of the agency.

Of the discharged workers, 71 filed a complaint with the NPA demanding the withdrawal of their dismissals. This is the second judgment following the first one in April. The authority has nullified the dismissals of six government employees in all. Three of the six workers are members of the All Health and Welfare Ministry Worker’s Union.

The NPA noted in the decision that the ministry failed to make sufficient efforts to avoid the massive firing.

This judgment has again called into question the government’s role in the unfair dismissals.