
Asahi: Temp firms to shun day labor dispatch
Faced with political moves to tighten regulations, the temp staff industry will refrain from dispatching day laborers, a practice rapped as a hotbed of illegal practices and poor working conditions. The industry's decision is a key feature of a new set of voluntary guidelines released by the Japan Staffing Services Association on Wednesday. It is seen as a pre-emptive move to avoid tighter regulations on the industry that are being considered by both the ruling and opposition parties...Among the association's members are Goodwill Inc. and Fullcast Co., two leading companies suspended from operations due to illegal practices earlier. Goodwill...was also involved in a practice known as "double dispatch," in which day laborers sent to a client are then reassigned to a different firm. Such illegal practices have led to work accidents and injuries. Daily dispatch has also been criticized as a hotbed for the "working poor" because of its unstable working conditions...Whether the guidelines prove effective remains to be seen, as most of them only call for "efforts" from members, many of which originally opposed such voluntary rules. Both Goodwill and Fullcast have already cut down their day labor dispatch operations. There are also concerns that firms requiring day laborers may turn to services that do not belong to the association...more...