-
·
Temps a threatened species as job cuts bite
One of the biggest [problems that temp workers face] is what experts have dubbed “The Year 2009 Problem.” The three-year contracts many temps signed in 2006 will run out next year. After media reports exposed the unfair hiring practices of such major manufacturers as Panasonic Corp. and Canon Inc., many workers signed three-year contracts in…
-
·
Hard times for foreign workers
[The] bad economy is hitting the country’s foreign workers particularly hard, with nongovernmental organization volunteers warning that many who have been laid off face not only losing their homes and access to education in their mother tongue, but also that emergency food rations are now being distributed to the most desperate cases. “Of the nearly…
-
·
Plan to teach English classes in English prompts worries among educators in Japan
New high school curriculum guidelines calling for English lessons to be taught in English have sparked worries among teachers in Japan, with some doubting that teachers and students will be able to handle the classes. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has explained that “teachers should first display an attitude of actively…
-
·
Tax bureau accused of breaking labor law over management of contracted workers
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau has come under attack for allegedly giving orders to contract employees at its dormitories who are not directly under its control — an act that allegedly constitutes disguised contract labor, which is prohibited under the Employment Security Law. The custodians of the bureau’s 27 dormitories for single employees in Tokyo,…
-
·
How does the employment insurance system work?
Question: About how much are the unemployment benefit payments? Answer: The amount of compensation one can get through the employment insurance system depends on several factors. First, the system looks at a person’s income, minus bonuses and other benefits, over the six months before the person lost their job. This figure is divided by 180…
-
·
Foreign temporary workers hit hard by layoffs speak out
Among the ranks of temporary workers, foreigners, who face a language barrier, are particularly vulnerable to Japan’s worsening economy, and on Sunday some 200 of those workers took to the streets of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture in an unprecedented demonstration. The protesters called for greater job security and decried the sudden layoffs of temporary workers, which…
-
·
Foreigners march for job security
About 250 non-Japanese staged a protest march Sunday on the streets of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, to call for employment and assistance for foreign temporary workers who have lost their jobs to the deepening recession. They urged companies to stop firing temp workers. Manufacturers have announced plans in recent weeks to lay off large numbers of…
-
·
Politicians should not turn deaf ear to desperate cries of unemployed
An unemployment crisis is blowing violently through the Japanese archipelago. Many temporary workers have lost their jobs, their contracts suddenly terminated. Worse still, many have been thrown out into the cold with no place to live. The alarming scramble for personnel cuts by automakers and other large corporations who in the past had been Japanese…
-
·
Move to give foreigners same resident registration as Japanese
A bill to allow foreign residents to have the same resident registration as Japanese will be submitted to the regular Diet session early next year at the earliest, a government panel has announced. A meeting on the basic resident register for foreigners, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications…
-
·
New registry rules for foreigners proposed
A government panel Thursday recommended creating a new system by 2012 to register foreign residents on a household basis, replacing the current individual-basis system, to better oversee their living conditions. Japanese nationals are registered on a household basis. In a report, the panel of experts under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also recommended…