“False self-retirement” Foreign technical intern trainee who loses his place September 18, 15:42

"I had to sign a document surrounded by company personnel for three hours."

It is a word of a Vietnamese technical intern trainee.

Now, there are a series of trainees seeking help from support groups, saying, "I have decided to retire because I wanted to, and I lost my place."

I feel that the effects of the new coronavirus are causing distortions in the system, for which many problems have been pointed out so far.

(Social Department reporter, Yuka Onishi)

"Confirmation of intention" Sign pressed

A Vietnamese technical intern trainee, Khao Bang Sung (27), came to Japan last October to acquire the skill of "building cleaning" and worked at a company in Tokyo.

He lives in a company dormitory and is mainly in charge of business at hotels.

While sending money to my elderly parents in Vietnam, I lived a life of studying Japanese between jobs.

However, in March, the number of jobs at hotels dropped sharply due to the effects of the new coronavirus.

He says he had to wait in the company dormitory, and in May he was forced to retire and leave the dormitory.

When I retired, I was asked to sign by the company in a document called a "confirmation of intention".

It is written that "the training should be stopped halfway and returned to Japan" and "it should not be returned to Japan against the will", and it is a content that reminds Mr. Son to quit his job by himself.

Mr. Son, who had a debt of about 1 million yen for the procedure to come to Japan, appealed to the company that he would like to continue working.

However, he says he had to sign a document surrounded by company personnel for three hours.

Mr. Khao Bang Sung

"I was really despaired. I have never experienced such a thing that I do not know what to do. I do not know how to live a Vietnamese family if my job is gone."

Unable to grasp the actual situation of dismissal of trainees

How many foreign technical intern trainees have lost their jobs due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection?

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, as of August 28, 3,248 trainees were dismissed because the company's business condition deteriorated due to the effects of the new coronavirus.

However, this number is limited to those reported to the country that they were dismissed due to company reasons.

For this reason, it does not include those who were decided to quit due to the circumstances of the trainees like Mr. Son.

It is said that the country has not fully grasped the actual situation of how many trainees have actually been dismissed.

"Retirement for personal reasons" that prevents reemployment

Mr. Son, who lost his job and home and lost his place, asked for help from the NPO Nikoshi Tomoiki Support Group, a support group in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

I tried to find a new job with the help of a support group, but the "confirmation of intention" mentioned earlier prevented it.

In this document, it was not the dismissal due to the company's circumstances, but the fact that Mr. Son himself had hoped to retire, which was a big barrier in finding a new job.

What is the difference between "dismissal" and "retirement" of trainees?

Why.

In the first place, foreign technical intern trainees have been given a predetermined workplace and job content, and due to the system, free "change of job" in Japan has not been permitted.

However, the government will allow trainees who have been "dismissed" due to the effects of the new coronavirus since April to work in 14 industries such as agriculture and long-term care by switching their status of residence from "technical intern training". I made it.

With this special measure, I was able to work in Japan for up to a year.

However, if the trainee "retirs" for his own convenience, in principle, he / she is not subject to this special measure.

Mr. Khao Bang Sung

"I wasn't sure about foreign technical intern trainees like us because it was difficult to get information about Japanese laws and systems. It's been a year since I came to Japan. I haven't been able to repay my debt. The life of my Vietnamese family depends on me and I have no reason to quit my job. "

On the other hand, the company responded to NHK's interview as follows.

The company where Mr. Son worked,

"I accepted the retirement notice because I wanted to return to Japan.

I provided funds for my future life and a room in the company dormitory even after retirement, but at the request of the person, I became a support group. I'm relying on it, so I'll leave it to you for the rest. "

Why is there such a difference between "dismissal" due to the company's convenience and "retirement" due to the trainee's own convenience?

The country explains:

Person in charge of the Ministry of Justice

"Foreign technical intern trainees are permitted to enter the country as activities based on the status of residence of" technical intern training ". Allowing

trainees who retired at their own request to change jobs freely. Does not meet the purpose and philosophy of technical intern training to acquire skills at the host company, etc. and return to Japan.

This special measure is applied only when work is lost due to the influence of the new corona virus

.

To do "

Support group "The trainees alone cannot handle it"

The support groups that protected Mr. Son have been receiving a series of consultations saying, "I wanted to continue working in Japan, but I decided to quit because I wanted to."

The support group consulted with the Ministry of Justice many times over the four months regarding Mr. Son's case, and explained the circumstances that he had lost his job due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection and that the company asked him to quit. I did.

As a result, it is expected that the procedure for switching the status of residence will be advanced, and it is decided to get a job at a food processing company in Tochigi prefecture.

The Ministry of Justice says that if it can be confirmed that it has lost its job due to the effect of the new coronavirus, it will be subject to special measures and it will be possible to switch the status of residence and work for another company.

However, many support groups are trainees who cannot speak Japanese well, and I find it difficult to explain in detail to the country how they lost their jobs.

Representative of NPO Japan-Vietnam Tomoiki Support Association Yoshitoyo Yoshimizu

"I think that the technical intern trainees who could ask us for help are just the tip of the iceberg. The trainees who could connect to the support group can be saved. However, I think there are still more trainees who have been forced to quit their jobs and are about to reach their limits in their lives in a foreign country without understanding the language and systems. "

What is the intention of companies to avoid "dismissal"?

Why are there a series of consultations from foreign technical intern trainees saying that "voluntary retirement is a lie"?

Associate Professor Yoshihisa Saito of Kobe University, who is engaged in support activities for trainees and is familiar with the labor issues of foreigners, said that there is a high possibility that dismissal will be recognized as unjustified by the government, and the company's intention and background I pointed out that there are two possible points.

▽ In the future, there is a possibility that the national examination will become strict when accepting new trainees

▽ Intention to avoid troubles

On top of that, he argues that the government should actively work on the support of trainees who have lost their jobs and homes, rather than relying solely on the private sector.

Associate Professor Yoshihisa Saito of Kobe University

"Now, Japan is accepting foreign technical intern trainees as a substantial labor force, and how much Japanese society depends on them has become more apparent in the corona disaster. Now that you have come to Japan under the system, the country should come to the fore and protect the trainees who have lost their jobs, or match up with new jobs. If that is financially difficult, another We should take flexible measures such as making it easier to work in the company. "

The country grasps the actual situation and takes measures

In order to understand this situation, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare wants to make sure that the contact point for consultations with foreign technical intern trainees is available in their native language.

On top of that, we would like to consider measures so that we can grasp the actual situation more accurately.

In Japan, as of December last year, about 410,000 foreign technical intern trainees are working and supporting all industries.

The purpose of the system is to "acquire skills", but it is also a "worker" protected by the Japanese Labor Standards Law.

However, it seems that various problems are occurring due to this lack of awareness.

Because of the state of emergency, the country should take proper measures to protect the rights of technical intern trainees as "workers", and if that is not possible, foreign countries that do not choose Japan as a place to work during "post-corona" I think that the number of people will increase.

Social Affairs Department Reporter

Yuka Onishi

Joined in 2011

After working at Matsuyama Bureau, she is currently affiliated