Should be "Improvement in treatment" but monthly salary decrease? 18:47 on March 24, 2018

"Instead of the bonus, the monthly salary has been reduced."
These voices came to us one after another before a new system was launched to improve the treatment of irregular civil servants.

"While doing the same job as regular staff, the salary is cheap."
"Responsibilities and treatments are not worth it."
There are 640,000 non-regular civil servants nationwide. As we continued to cover the situation, we thought that the new system would improve the treatment of these people.

However, the reality was unexpected.
("Irregular public servant" coverage group)

Even if the bonus comes out, the monthly salary will decrease! ?

I was able to talk to a woman in her forties who was betrayed of expectations for the system.

A woman who works as a librarian five days a week at a public library has a monthly income of 185,000 yen and a take-up of about 140,000 yen.

"Bonus will be paid from the new year"

The woman was hoping that she could improve her life a little.
However, I was disappointed with the suggested working conditions.

While the bonus is paid for 2.6 months a year, the monthly income is 162,000 yen. It is said that it will be reduced to about 120,000 yen by taking home. You will receive a new bonus, but your annual income will remain the same.

Women pay their mortgages every month to support their families.
In order to make up for the reduced income every month, we plan to start cleaning and working part-time at construction sites in April after work and on holidays.

"Even if you say that you get a bonus, the current situation is that nothing will change because only the amount that is subtracted from your monthly income will return. Was it? "

What is a new system with difficult names?

The new system starting in April is named "Fiscal Year Appointment Staff System". The contents should have been a major system change that would improve the treatment of irregular civil servants.

The need for administrative services, such as education and childcare, is growing as the municipality's finances are becoming more difficult. Temporary and part-time employees, called irregular servants, have been at the forefront of that.

The new system was designed to scrutinize the work of these people and apply the concept of equal pay for equal work starting in the private sector in April to the world of civil servants. Including the provision of bonuses such as “term-end allowances,” the aim was to improve the treatment of irregular civil servants.

However, many of our voices point in different directions.
What is going on?

What is the new monthly system

We interviewed the prefectural capitals, ordinance-designated cities, and the municipalities in Tokyo and the 23 wards of Tokyo for a total of 75 municipalities to find out if there are employees whose monthly or annual salaries would decrease under the new system.

Of these, 31 municipalities replied, "Some staff have lower monthly salaries."

Many of the municipalities responded that "The monthly salary will be reduced and the bonus will be paid, so the annual income will not change." However, 10 municipalities responded that "the annual income base will also decrease."

Some of the reasons were "part-time full-time staff members reduced their working hours" and "reduced bonuses to monthly salaries instead of bonuses".

The most common was "I reviewed the work and salary system." It is the result of comparing work content and responsibilities with regular staff and reviewing them to balance them.

Experts point out:

"The system was intended to improve the treatment of non-regular civil servants, but I think it has become evident that the system is not connected to it. Improving the treatment of non-regular civil servants who are at the forefront of administrative services Without progress, the municipality will not be able to provide administrative services, ultimately helping those who need government support, such as those who are raising children, have medical care, or face poverty or domestic violence. I'm afraid that it could lead to inability to receive access. ''

No support for administrative services! ?

If the treatment of non-regular civil servants, who account for 30% of the municipal staff, does not improve, the quality of administrative services could decline. As I went through the interview, I came across a situation that made me feel that it was becoming a reality.

Sato (pseudonym) in her 50s working as a part-time nurse at a public hospital. I used to work as a regular staff member, but started working part-time for eight years because of my illness. However, he still works five days a week, almost the same time as regular staff, and performs similar duties.

However, at a public hospital where Mr. Sato works, an unusual incident has occurred.

A new system that should improve treatment.
However, Mr. Sato's monthly salary decreased from 30,000 yen to 70,000 yen, and the bonus was not enough to make up for the decrease, but his annual income will decrease at least next year next year. The treatment is effectively “deteriorated”.

Similarly, some of your co-workers lose money.

As a result, several part-time nurses who have supported the hospital for many years have decided to leave the hospital in the new year.

Mr. Sato: "Veteran people who have been doing very well will quit. It is quite painful for the site. Even if new people enter, if one person gives guidance, the amount of work of other people will increase. As a result I'm worried that the time associated with each patient will be reduced. ''

What is difficult for local governments to deal with

We talked about why it is difficult to improve treatment and how local governments are trying to introduce this new system.

Mito City with a population of about 270,000.
The city's general account is ¥ 120 billion annually. Over 18 billion yen is for personnel expenses.
In order to respond to diversifying administrative services while reducing labor costs, which account for 15%, recruitment of non-regular staff is increasing year by year. One-third of the staff, about 900, are now irregular.

The city has decided to provide bonuses to all non-regular civil servants without lowering their monthly salary.

Mito City Personnel Division Deputy Advisor Kenji Sakaba "In Mito City, nearly 1,000 part-time employees are working. To provide them with period-end allowances, a considerable amount is required."

Outsourcing to the private sector for part time

So, the measure that Mito City took was "part-time" for irregular civil servants. For 71 non-regular civil servants who work in the city, 71% of them, they reviewed their work and reduced their daily working hours from 7 hours 45 minutes to 7 hours 30 minutes, 15 minutes.
As a result of reconsidering what kind of work they would take, it means that labor costs were kept low and that they no longer had to pay retirement allowances.

In the case of Mito City, labor costs for the new fiscal year will increase by 240 million yen over the previous year.

Deputy counselor Sakaba: “With the growing demand for administrative services, there is still the need for non-regular employees. Operating the system while looking at the balance between what salary levels are needed and what can be maintained. I want to go. ''

The city intends to reduce the financial burden by reviewing administrative services, such as entrusting private classes to elementary schools (school childcare) from elementary schools, which were operated mainly by irregular public servants, next month. You.

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which is in charge of local government, has played a leading role in this system. In order to cope with the increase in personnel costs due to the introduction of the system, a total of 170 billion yen will be allocated to local governments nationwide as local allocation tax.

Last December I was giving this notice.

Due to fiscal deterioration,
し な い Don't shorten working hours without a reasonable reason even though you worked full time.
な い Do not reduce your monthly salary in line with the bonus payment.

However, in the interview, it seems that the opposite is happening.

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: It is possible that the salary level will be reduced by reviewing the illegal pay decision in the past. The only way to reduce salaries and remuneration solely because of financial constraints is to pursue a law change. Has been notified that they do not comply. ''

Where is the light of hope

Many “non-regular civil servants” we met during our interviews. Many of them were proud of their work, felt rewarding, and continued to work in spite of their poor treatment due to the local government's affair.

For these people, the new system, which has become equal to the same pay for equal work, must have been the light of hope.

However, as we proceed with interviews, not only are there cases where the system has not improved treatment, but also voices are starting to appear that it will be difficult to maintain administrative services due to the resignation of irregular civil servants. I understand.

And that service is indispensable to our lives, such as hospitals, schoolchild care and child abuse.

Under the new system, some local governments interviewed have improved their treatment by maintaining their monthly wages and paying benefits. `` I couldn't imagine lowering the labor costs and treatment of non-regular people in specialized fields to maintain the quality of service to residents in such a labor shortage. '' talked.

What we need to face right now is the very nature of this "administrative service." In a Japanese society where tax revenues decrease due to a declining population, it is no longer possible to enjoy the same services as today without increasing the burden.

What we have learned from the spread of the new coronavirus is that our services are supported by administrative services such as medical care and childcare.

"Non-regular civil servants" have been at the forefront of this service.

Will the treatment of non-regular civil servants be improved properly under the new system?
We will continue to examine the issues that directly affect our lives.

"Non-regular civil servants" will also be reported in close-up of Kesa in "Good morning Japan" on March 25. In addition, we look forward to your voice from the "news post" of the "hot content" below the article. Please send it as "Non-regular civil servant".

Yokohama Broadcasting Station Mitsumi Terashima

Mito Broadcasting Station Saito Rei

Daisuke Narita, Network Press Department

Shinichiro Kuninaka, Network Press Department