Bill to adversely change temps law passes lower house committee

The ruling coalition parties on May 21 used their force of majority in the House of Representatives Health, Labor, and Welfare Committee to approve a bill to adversely revise the Temporary Staffing Law that, if enacted, will allow more full-time employees to be replaced by temporary workers.

In the committee discussion, Japanese Communist Party representative Yamaguchi Tomio rose to severely criticize the bill as being intended to remove provisions restricting the use of temporary workers to certain categories of jobs as well as the period of time such workers can be hired. This is nothing less than a deregulation to meet the demands of business circles.

Later in the day, about 4,000 people held a rally in protest against the bill to change the Temporary Staffing Law, expressing opposition to the idea that temporary workers are hired only on an ad hoc basis.

Marching in demonstration after the rally in the Hibiya Amphitheater in Tokyo, participants expressed their determination to block another anti-labor bill to adversely change the Labor Standards Law which will allow employers to freely fire their workers. (end)