Now they need your help to get their message across.

You can do so by adding your name to their petition demanding equality for non-regular workers.

The various companies of the Japan Post Group have about 190,000 non-regular staff (part-timers, etc.) working at post offices and related workplaces all across the country.

Even when they perform the same tasks as regular employees, and bear the same responsibilities, there are drastic disparities in their treatment; in terms of yearly income, they earn only about one-third of what regular full-time staff members make.

Disparities in time off and other benefits have also been left uncorrected.

These are violations of Article 20 of the Labour Contract Act, which specifies clearly that “unreasonable labour conditions due to having a limited term are forbidden”.

Japan Post Group companies must correct the disparities in working conditions and give employees equal treatment.

The appeal decision in the East Japan Postal Service Article 20 Case (Tokyo Superior Court, Dec. 13, 2018), as well as that in the West Japan Case (Osaka Superior Court, Jan. 24, 2019), ordered correction of disparities in year-end work allowances, other allowances, and time off.

Japan Post Group companies must obey these verdicts and rectify the disparities promptly.

Furthermore, there is a large gap in treatment of regular and non-regular employees in terms of summer and year-end allowances (bonuses).

The “equal pay for equal work” guidelines in the “work-style reform” laws set to come into effect next year say that bonuses “paid in accordance with the contribution made by a worker should be paid the same, or, if there is a certain difference, should be paid in accordance with that difference”.

Japan Post Group companies must also rectify the disparities in bonuses.

Japan Post says labour shortages are the reason why they are moving ahead with plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays and reconsider their next-day delivery system.

These plans have many people very concerned due to the severity of postal service cutbacks.

They must take another look at their high proportion of non-regular staff and move forward with making these staff into regular full-timers in order to relieve the labour shortage and maintain the levels of service that people need.

In addition, the Japan Post Insurance (Kanpo Seimei) sales scandal has caused a great loss of trust in the entire postal service.

It will be essential to rethink the management policies taken since privatization, including quotas and performance-based pay as well as the expanded use of non-regular employment.

Now is the time to call strongly for expanding regular employment and enabling all postal workers to keep working with hope for their future by carrying out the following demands.

Add your name to the petition.

To: Mr Nagato Masatsugu, President and CEO, Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd.

1. All non-regular staff who wish, should be employed as (promoted to) regular staff

2. As well as carrying out fair and proper employment (promotion) for regular staff, the number of promotions per single year should be greatly increased

3. The minimum wage for hourly-wage contract employees should be made 1200 yen or more per hour across the board nationwide

4. Summer and winter holidays should be granted in the same way as to regular staff; also, sick leave should be paid.

5. Disparities with regular employees in lump-sum and other allowances, as well as in benefits, should be corrected.

Personal information will be used in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act, and will not be used for any purpose other than that stated above.