The JIL Labor Flash Vol.46
Email Journal 15.07.2003
Statistical Reports
Recent Statistical Survey Reports
Current Topics
The first wage cut for Japan Post employees and the labor union's
moves
Public Policies
A self-checklist for diagnosing fatigue level is announced ...etc
News Clippings
A new company to support middle-aged and older people's job changes
...etc
Special Issue
External evaluation committee issues critical assessments and
warnings to Rengo activities
Statistical Reports
-Recent Statistical Survey Reports June 2003-
Features
Worker's Accident Compensation for Cerebral/Cardiac Disease, Mental
Disease (FY2002)
Basic Survey on Human Resource Development (FY2002)
Report on Employment Service (May) ...etc
http://www.jil.go.jp/estatis/esaikin/2003/e2003-06.htm
Current Topics
-The first wage cut for Japan Post employees and the labor union's
moves-
In June, the Central Labor Relations Commission presented to labor
and management an arbitration ruling that wages of employees working
for Japan Post (a public corporation), the National Printing Bureau
and the Japan Mint (both independent administrative institutions),
and the Forestry Agency (state-owned) be reduced by a margin of between
2.48 and 2.58% for FY2003. Although this is the second consecutive year
of wage decreases, this is the first time ever to see an arbitration
ruling accompanied by a revision in the salary table.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2001-2003/2003b/vol.46/japanpost.html
Public Policies
-A self-checklist for diagnosing fatigue level is announced-
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have drawn up and
announced a checklist that allows workers to self-diagnose their degree
of fatigue. The aim is to prevent the incidence of "karoshi" (death from
overwork), that does not show any signs of abating, as well as health
problems caused by overwork.
The checklist comprises 13 questions related to respondents' subjective
symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and loss of motivation,
as well as seven questions about their working status for the past month,
including overtime work hours, burdens associated with business trips
and psychological burdens related to work.
Respondents are asked to assess the subjective symptom items on a
scale of 1 to 3 (hardly ever, sometimes, and often), and their working
conditions, also on a scale of 1 to 3. Their answers are then compiled
and comprehensively evaluated on a scale of 1 to 4.
Those receiving poor evaluations are advised to consult an industrial
physician or their superiors at work.
The checklist has drawn tremendous interest, since assessment results
can be obtained quickly and easily and the list is made available on
the Internet for anyone to download at any time.
-Company that refused to comply with recommendations to employ disabled
people named-
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has made public the name
of a company that had failed to comply with repeated government warnings
to hire disabled people. The company, Nippon Kuko Services, was ordered
to draw up an employment plan targeting disabled individuals covering
a three-year period from 1999 and received recommendations and special
guidance during this period regarding the proper implementation of
the plan (legally required employment rate = 1.8% for private-sector
companies with 56 or more employees), but did not comply with them.
This company, whose business is to clean aircraft and provide other
services at Tokyo Narita Airport, had not hired any disabled persons
up until April.
The disclosure of the company's name, made on the basis of Article
16 of the Law to Promote the Employment of Handicapped Persons, is
meant to serve as a "name-and-shame" penalty.
This announcement of the company name was the first since the names
of four such companies were disclosed 11 years ago.
News Clippings
-A new company to support middle-aged and older people's job changes-
Pasona Inc., a leading staffing agency, will launch a new company
jointly with 34 major companies, including Sony Corp., Nomura Securities
Co. and Canon Inc., to support middle-aged and older workers wishing
to switch jobs. Named the Kanto Employment Creation Organization, it
will help employees of the companies investing in it to find jobs in
medium and small companies. Support services for job changes are normally
provided under contracts with individual companies. Pasona hopes to expand
its business substantially by "corralling" major companies into one
organization.
Those who can receive such support are middle-aged and older employees
of the shareholder companies except Pasona. Employees loaned to the
new company from their investing parent companies will look for new
jobs while doing work commissioned from their parent companies. This
new company will help those employees to find jobs by taking on clerical
work and other job assignments for them.
The major companies investing in this new organization will be able
to carefully screen the recruiting information it receives, and either
pass it on to their employees wishing to change jobs or hire other
companies' job-seeking employees.
Pasona hopes to establish similar joint-venture companies throughout
the country.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, June)
-Saving financially troubled students with "Corporate Restructuring
Scholarships" -
A growing number of university students are having trouble paying
their tuition fees as a result of their parents losing jobs and/or
suffering wage cuts due to corporate downsizing. Some private
universities have therefore begun implementing relief measures for
these students by establishing systems that will enable the school
to act instead as the guarantor for student loans and to finance part
of their tuition.
Senshu University launched last September an "Oyagawari (substitute
parents) Scholarship System" under which the university will serve as
a guarantor for educational loans if the students' parents cannot
obtain such loans for reasons of economic hardship. Two years ago,
the Parents' Education Supporters' Association of Ritsumeikan University,
organized by students' parents, established a scholarship to counter
abrupt changes in students’ household finances. Under the system,
students majoring in liberal arts will receive loans of 400,000 yen,
and those majoring science and engineering will qualify for 600,000 yen
in emergency cases.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, June)
-Ranking of companies by their summer bonuses-
Summer bonuses paid this year increased by 2 percent to 717,419 yen
per person, according to an interim report of the 2003 summer bonus
survey conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. This is the first summer
bonus hike in two years.
The rising trend in summer bonuses was led by manufacturing-sector
companies such as electric appliance manufacturers that have dramatically
improved their business performance due to corporate restructuring and
increases in exports. On the other hand, the survey found that gaps
between individual workers had widened as a result of greater emphasis
being placed on personal achievements and performance as criteria for
bonus payments.
The top 10 companies that have paid the largest summer bonuses this year:
1. Nintendo Co., with 1,637,145 yen;
2. Rohm Co., 1,236,000 yen;
3. Mabuchi Motor Co., 1,123,874.
They are followed in order, by Sony Corp., Sony Marketing, Olympus
Optical Co., Asahi Breweries, West Japan Railway Co., Shiseido Co.,
and Nihon Yusen K.K.
(Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun, June)
Special Issue
-External evaluation committee issues critical assessments and warnings
to Rengo activities-
An evaluation committee comprising seven people, including lawyers,
academics and journalists, has recently released a harshly worded interim
report to the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo). The committee
was set up by Rengo with the purpose of having external intellectual
leaders examine the trade union's activities in order to rebuild and
revitalize its programs, and achieve its goal of developing more socially
-oriented labor movements.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2001-2003/2003b/vol.46/evaluation_rengo.html
