Staffing agencies force temporary workers into signing petition in opposition to revision of Worker Dispatch Law

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Staffing agencies force temporary workers into signing petition in opposition to revision of Worker Dispatch Law

Akahata has learned that staffing agencies and their industrial groups are forcing temporary workers to sign a petition aimed at blocking revision of the Worker Dispatch Law.

Many temporary workers are saying, "It is unacceptable that staffing agencies are forcibly collecting signatures without expressing remorse over their use of temporary workers disguised as independent contractors or arbitrary termination of our contracts before they expire."

The Japan Staffing Services Association consisting of 777 staffing agencies that send temporary workers to offices and the Japan Production Skill Labor Association made up of 122 staffing agencies that send temporary workers to manufacturers launched a signature campaign in June aiming to collect one million signatures. They are waging campaign on their websites as well.

The petition opposes the revision which prohibits the use of temporary workers in manufacturing for a term of less than 30 days on the grounds that such a revision will cause loss of employment, economic stagnation, and shifting production overseas.

The petition also calls for complete deregulation including the abolition of legally permitted periods for the use of temporary workers by claiming, "No one will be able to work as temporary workers."

Staffing agencies have had a sense of crisis over the situation that reflecting the movement calling for drastic revision of the Worker Dispatch Law, even the Democratic Party of Japan took steps toward a ban on sending temporary workers to manufacturers in principle.

Staffing agencies are asking their temporary workers to sign the petition by e-mail. This violates the Private Information Protection Law forbidding the use of information for purposes other than those stated.

- Akahata, July 16, 2009