Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

KOGA says!
“An Interim Report on the Situation of Examination about the Worker Dispatching System” Submitted by the Demand and Supply of Labor Force System Section of the Employment Security Working Party

1. Today on December 25, 2007, the Demand and Supply of Labor Force System Section of the Employment Security Working Party established in the Labor Policy Deliberation Council (Chair of the Section: Mr. Atsushi SEIKE, Professor of Keio University) brought its discussions to a conclusion in a form of “On the Situation of Examination about the Worker Dispatching System (An Interim Report)”.
   The Interim Report concluded that the differences of opinions between the employers and the workers on the worker dispatching system are so big in substantial parts that it should be fundamentally and thoroughly examined hereafter by setting up a study group of academicians. It is extremely regrettable that a revision of the Worker Dispatching Law has been shelved at the next Ordinary Session of the Diet without responding to the hope of dispatched workers and the demand of the society while the revision of the Law is urgently needed in order to lay protection of workers first and foremost.
2. The deregulation of the Worker Dispatching Law has resulted in the expansion of insecure employment and low wage work. Rampancy of the violations of the Law are seen in “disguised sub-contract and/or illegal dispatch” and “daily dispatch” which the Worker Dispatching Law did not presuppose, and, moreover, poverty of the workers who are called “the working poor” have become extremely serious social issues.
   As to “daily dispatch”, in particular, various problems such as violations of the Worker Dispatching Law and the Labor Standards Law have been pointed out. Immediate steps such as not only strict measures against violations of the Laws through reinforcement of the supervision and guidance of the administrations but also reinforcement of its regulation by enacting laws should be taken.
3. JTUC-RENGO sat for the deliberation with a viewpoint that worker dispatch should be limited, in principle, to the positive list method which limited it to the specialized jobs specified in the Law enacted in 1985 and that regular employment in the dispatching service should be assumed to be basic. Moreover, JTUC-RENGO has demanded, as measures to be taken for the moment, prohibition of registration type of dispatch of those general jobs other than 26 specialized jobs specified in the Law, establishment of a regulation for user companies to conclude employment relationship with responsibility for securing working conditions and employment for the dispatched workers, equal treatment, reinforcement of the responsibility of user companies, regulation of daily dispatch and so forth.
4. JTUC-RENGO never allows the deregulation of labor market which encourages expansion of the disparities in employment. JTUC-RENGO will continue to strengthen its involvements together with its affiliates and local RENGOs so as to realize a revision of the Worker Dispatching Law which will enhance such protection of workers as employment security and fair treatment of dispatched workers.