JCP Daimon criticizes government for supporting young labor-consuming corporations

In the House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting on March 16, Japanese Communist Party Dietmember Daimon Mikishi stated that the Koizumi Cabinet's "structural reform" only increases the number of unstably employed workers and has nothing to do with economic recovery.

Daimon pointed out that corporations are increasing their profits by reducing the number of regular workers and replacing many of them with non-regular workers with lower wages. "No matter how much profit companies make, they try to keep wages low. The 'structural reform' has been promoted to meet the companies' strategy," Daimon stressed.

Referring to a woman temporary worker who works only 4 days a month although she has signed up with two temporary staffing companies, Daimon cited a remark of a corporate representative that such young workers are "disposables and consumables."

The JCP representative also pointed out that the average wage for part-time workers in Europe is 80 percent of that of full-time workers while the same rate in Japan is 50 percent.

In the last seven years, the number of full-time employees decreased by 4 million while that of temporary workers increased by 4.2 million. (end)