By Yuko Iseya

　　　Do you know what the labor law for part-timer workers is? It is a law enacted in 1993 concerning the improvement of the management of part-time employment. On May 25, 2007 the amendment of the labor law for part-time workers was passed. It will be enforced from this April. Treatment of many part-time workers seems to be improving because of the new law. However, it applies to only one percent of the 12 million part-time workers. Why doesn't it apply to the other 99 percent?

　　　The law incorporated a rule that provides for protection for part-time workers who meet certain requirements. Prohibiting discrimination by law is a new point compared with the old law. However, the requirements covered by the law are hard for part-time workers to meet. Therefore, this law applies to only a few people.

　　　The three requirements are: The duties and responsibility of duties must be the same as full-time workers, there is no limit of the period of employment, and transfers or changes in their duties are the same as full-time workers. There may be only a few people who meet these requirements. Even for those people who do meet these requirements, it is possible for employers to continue discriminating against part-time workers because of some arbitrary reasons created by employers. For example, it is very easy for employers to make it impossible for part-time workers meet the requirements because they do not have any expectations for part-time workers to transfer. Even if there are people who meet almost all the requirements, employers can say they do not meet all requirements because they are not required to tidy up documents. There is a loophole for employers even if there is a small difference between part-time and full-time workers.

There is one more problem that should be considered. This law is for part-time workers. According to this law, part-time workers are defined as people who have fewer working hours in a week than full-time workers. In brief, people who work as much as or more than full-time workers are not considered part-time workers. It means that they are not covered under the new law. This is very unfair, so quick reform is needed.

A term used to describe part-time workers that work full-time is called full-time part-time workers. Full-time part-time workers usually contribute to their company more than part-time workers because they have better skills, they work more hours than part-time workers and they are flexible as to the times they work.

There must be many full-time part-time workers among those 12 million part-time workers. If they meet the three requirements, their working conditions should be the same as full-time workers. These people should be treated the same as full-time workers without discrimination.

The amendment of the labor law for part-time workers will be enforced from this April, but before then the government should look it over again and clarify these three requirements in this law. It is hoped that the government will help more part-time workers' working conditions by this law so that they can emerge from the working poor. Moreover, the government needs to make a new labor law for full-time part-time workers. If their working hours and skills are same as full-time workers they should be employed as full-time workers. This problem will influence our future, so it must be discussed and debated much more.