The government has unveiled a draft guideline for a system of "equal pay for equal work" regardless of employment status.
The draft, presented Tuesday at a government meeting for promoting employment reforms, stipulates that companies should provide equal payment to nonregular employees who engage in work equal to that of regular employees. It also says bonuses and commuting allowances should be given to nonregular workers.
This is the first draft guideline formulated by the Abe administration on treatment of regular and nonregular workers in terms of wages and allowances. The government plans to continue discussing revising laws based on the draft guideline.
The term nonregular is generally applied to part-time, contract or any other worker not employed as a regular employee. The inferior employment conditions provided to nonregular employees has grown in political and economic importance as the percentage of such people in the workforce has soared in recent years.
But it remains unclear to what extent the disparity is going to be corrected as the draft guideline admits wage differences based on worker backgrounds.
The draft says wages can differ depending on workers' experience and performance outcomes, but employee benefits, in addition to commuting, late-night and holiday allowances, should be equal regardless of the job and performance.
As for base pay, nonregular workers should receive the same amount if job experience, achievement and lengths of employment are the same, the draft says.
With regard to dispatched workers, their treatment should be equal with that of employees at companies to which they are dispatched, it says.