- Government, employer and labour representatives today agreed on
"diversified employment patterns and work-sharing". While
Rengo sees this agreement as a step forward from the March agreement,
this agreement only confirms fundamental directions for various issues
that should be embodied within this fiscal year, or by the end of
March 2003, through a series of discussions. In this context, RENGO
treats the agreement as an interim report and will be working to reach
an agreement on remaining problems.
- This agreement is to confirm that the government and the social
partners will work together to promote the diversification of employment
patters, ensure equal treatment for all types of jobs, develop proper
working time management and improve human resource development. Atypical
workers are not a choice of workers, but represent the expansion of
employers' choices for the cost-reduction purpose. It is believed
that we had a common understanding that improving such situation and
expanding workers' choices suited to their life-styles would be a
benefit to employers.
- Work sharing is not only a practice at the workplace, but should
be accompanied with overall reform of life-styles and the society
as a whole. This was already recognized as a common understanding
in the first meeting of the Tripartite Employment Conference and needs
to be further embodied.
- In particular, equal and fair treatment for all types of jobs should
be elaborated not only at the labour-management level, but also at
the tripartite level towards a definite conclusion to be mad by the
end of the fiscal year. Rengo will expect the Government to take the
lead and also make all possible efforts to come to a conclusion with
employers.
- The employment situation is expected to be further deteriorated
without a sign of recovery. The Government and the social partners
should work together to make concrete steps in discussing work sharing
characterised by diversified working and employment patterns with
a view to review work- and life-styles. We have decided to continue
working together towards the establishment of cross-enterprise personnel
management and human resource development, starting with what can
be achieved, such as shortening overtime working hours, institutionalising
part-time workers, etc.
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