The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry told the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday that it wants to make part-time workers enroll in corporate pension funds.
The proposal, raised in a meeting with senior ministry officials and the JCCI, was panned by delegates of the chamber in the interest of protecting smaller businesses, those at the meeting said.
But the financial status of part-time workers compared with full-time employees must be improved, the ministry officials stressed, even if it forces companies to shoulder a higher financial burden.
The pension structure must be supported with the participation of all workers, ministry officials said.
Chamber delegates, however, voiced opposition to what they termed a hasty expansion of the pension scheme.