Secure human rights of temporary workers -- Akahata editorial, February 25The number of people whose work is contracted through temporary staffing agencies is increasing rapidly. A Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare survey shows that the number of workers in this category was 2.13 million in FY 2002, and the figure is expected to increase dramatically after the ban is lifted on the use of temporary staff in the manufacturing sector. Protection of basic labor rights for temporary workers, who are in a disadvantageous position mainly because of their unstable jobs, is an urgent task.
Prevalent Illegal temporary staffing
Temporary staffing is a cheap way of hiring workers because it enables companies to adjust employment according to their needs.
Temporary workers from staffing agencies, however, are often deprived of basic labor rights and their employment is unstable. Many temp workers complain: "I was told to quit this month although I am on a six-month contract"; "I was asked to agree to a hourly wage cut. I was told my contract won't be extended if I disagree", or "If I have social insurance policies, my hourly wage will be reduced."
What's more, the practice of staffing temp workers through two agencies is increasing. A case of physical violence against a temp worker at a Yodobashi Camera store has been disclosed.
Manpower staffing business was prohibited after the end of World War II based on a self-examination of the prewar malpractices of corruption and forced labor, and direct employment by companies became the principle. However, the staffing business was legalized in 1985. The number of temporary staffing workers has doubled in the four years since temporary staffing became applicable in more categories of business in 1999.
It is important to note that auto, electronics, and other manufacturers nowadays extensively delegate their assembly lines to external service providers without waiting for the ban on the use of temporary staffing workers to be lifted. Such business providers are thriving on the trend, and about 10,000 service providers are said to employ about one million staffing workers. Many of these companies are "leasing manpower", disguising themselves as external service providers.
Workers who provide particular services to companies will not be bound by the Worker Dispatch Law, which provides that temporary staffing workers who work more than three years for the same company must come under direct employment of the company.
As the lifting of the ban on the use of temp workers approaches, competition is increasing among staffing companies and service providers. They are competing with each other for lower prices at the cost of workers.
Rigorous regulations are needed to prevent staffing companies and services providers from doing business in disregard of the workers' rights.
Behind the current sharp increase in the number of temporary staffing workers and services providers' workers is the corporate strategy of using "diverse forms of employment"which replaces as many full-time workers as possible with low-paid workers, including temp workers, service providing workers, and part-timers.
We must not overlook the fact that this tendency has adverse effects on the job market for young people. While an increasing number of young people have difficulty in finding jobs and are actually losing jobs, most jobs offered them are temporary jobs.
Large corporations treat hopeful young people simply as "disposables" in their quest for quick profits. This cannot develop capable manpower, and young people cannot support themselves. This is a great loss to Japan's economy and society.
It is the large corporations' responsibility to employ young people as full-time workers and train them as capable manpower for the next generation.
It is necessary to regulate corporate restructuring that replaces as many regular workers as possible with temporary staffing and other contingent workers. Staffing temporary workers is no more than temporary adjustment of supply and demand of labor. It must not be used as a substitute for regular employment.
Option for regular employee status
When the law was adversely revised, the House of Councilors adopted a resolution calling for stable employment for temporary staffing workers, a rigorous supervision to be established with the view of eliminating services providers in disguise, protection of service providers' workers, and measures to be taken against discrimination against temporary staffing and other contingent workers. The resolution should be strictly observed.
Using temporary staffing workers simply as cheap labor and profiting from their low wages need to be controlled. Staffing services should return to their original role of responding to operational needs for special skills. It is also necessary to give temporary staffing workers the opportunity to become regular employees. (end)