Japan Press Weekly

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2016 August 24 - 30 [LABOR]

Gov’t should eliminate garment industry’s illegal use of foreign trainees: Zenroren

A delegation of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)-affiliated local unions in the Tokai and Hokuriku regions on August 23 petitioned government ministries to prevent illegal labor practices and human rights abuses in the Technical Intern Training Program known as the foreign trainee program.

Officials of the ministries of labor, justice, and economy and industry responded to the petition in the Diet building. Japanese Communist Party members of the House of Representatives Hatano Kimie, Shimizu Tadashi, and Motomura Nobuko joined the petitioning delegation.

Aichi Prefectural Federation of Trade Unions (Ai-roren) head Kurematsu Saichi and Gifu Prefectural Federation of Trade Unions (Gifu-roren) secretary Hirano Tatsuya reported about the illegal use of foreign trainees by garment manufacturers in Gifu Prefecture which is famous for its textile industry.

As an example, Kurematsu cited a clothing factory which has been employing trainees from Vietnam. At this factory, Vietnamese trainees work for a monthly wage of 60,000 yen. They are ordered to work on Saturdays without pay and even on Sundays. Although they are forced to work 150 hours overtime a month, they receive only 400 yen an hour although Gifu’s current minimum hourly wage is 754 yen.

The Ai-roren head pointed out that in Gifu, 50% of garment manufacturers accepting foreign trainees paid them wages lower than the prefecture’s minimum wage and 55.3% forced overtime work without paying the legal amount for overtime work. He requested government officials to take necessary measures, including suspension of permission for workshops or factories violating laws to receive foreign trainees.

Gifu-roren secretary Hirano explained that foreign trainees are placed in poor living environments, and urged the need of instructing employers to improve foreign trainees’ living conditions.

JCP lawmaker Shimizu Tadashi demanded that the government give appropriate guidance to foreign trainee employers after conducting a survey on garment workers’ wages and other necessary investigations.

Ministry officials in turn said that it is regrettable that the foreign trainee program is used to exploit foreign workers and that they will consider introducing effective measures to deal with this problem.

Past related articles:
> Zenroren calls for government measures to eliminate human rights abuses against foreign trainees [July 29, 2016]
> Illegal labor practices and human rights abuses against foreign trainees unacceptable: JCP Hatano [April 7, 2016]