On July 22 the government panel on minimum wage replied: it is hard to give an estimated figure of an increase and it is right to keep the current level. The central council has made an unfair decision not to indicate levels of minimum wage for the fiscal 2020 destined for prefectures of the country.

LIVELIHOOD IS BEING DESTROYED AMID PANDEMIC

Using an excuse of pandemic

It has been proven that disastrous effects hit more severely on the poor, who have dropped incomes. Ostensibly preferring an ‘employment first direction’, employers peg minimum wage levels, which is not acceptable.

Currently only in Tokyo and the Kanagawa Prefecture the minimum wages exceed \1,000 per hour, which are \1,013 and \1,010, respectively. Only in seven prefectures, including Saitama, Chiba, Aichi, Osaka and Kyoto, the weighted averages go above \901.

There are 17 prefectures where the minimum wages lower the D-rank, \800 per hour, among which 15 prefectures, including Okinawa, record \790. Disparity from the figure of Tokyo counts \223. If it is compared with that of 13 years ago, which was \109, difference surpasses as twice-strong as much.

Minimum wage that does not sustain life

A very small number of big businesses obtain colossal profits, piling up dividends of stocks and expanding internal reserves. Meanwhile, an overwhelming number of workers face harder lives. Non-regular workers occupy 40% of all the working population and 60% of them gain less than 3 million Yen annually.

The nationwide average minimum wage is calculated as \901; if you are employed under this condition, you can earn only a little more than \1.73 million per annum. If you work with an hourly pay of \1,000, the figure is 1.92 million Yen. Workers are obliged to commit in a double-job or a triple job routine.

According to a survey on the minimum earnings and assets, he/she needs \220-250 thousand monthly in every one of prefectures of the country, if a young man or woman lives independently (that means \1,500 per hour). Workers flow into metropolitan areas for this reason, which aggravates local economies. It is urgently needed to surge minimum wages in order to heighten the standards of living.

Let’s look at examples of foreign countries that assist medium-and-small-seized businesses to raise minimum wages; during a period of 2013-2015 the government of France has spent \2.25 trillion, Korea, \980 billion, and the US government, \880 billion. Meanwhile, the Japanese government has spent 8.7 billion Yen, an extremely small amount. Social movements are immediately required to force the government to take financial steps to ensure a surge in the minimum wages.

Legislation needed along Article 25

Enacting laws is necessary along Article 25 of the Constitution, which stipulates that ‘all people shall have the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living (the right to survive) and that ‘in all spheres of life, the State shall use its endeavors for the promotion and extension of social welfare and security, and of public health’ (obligations of the State).

Following the recent state’s decisions, local councils on minimum wages in the country will work for finalization until late August.

A political poster of the New Socialist Party for the year 2020 depicts ‘to live a life’. Let’s commit in the Minimum-Wage Caravans and strengthen negotiation campaigns with municipality authorities. Let’s correct gaps seen from a community to another to reach a unified, equal, nationwide norm of minimum wage so that every worker can earn an appropriate salary if he/she works eight hours a day. Let’s do our best!

August 18, 2020