The debate over raising the minimum wage begins

A final debate began on the 13th at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's council over raising the minimum wage, which has a national average of 902 yen per hour.

The government has set a goal of raising the national average to 1,000 yen per hour sooner, and the focus is on whether it will be a significant increase.

The minimum wage is the minimum wage that a company must pay to workers. Currently, the national average is 902 yen per hour, and the government has set a goal to raise it to 1000 yen per hour sooner.

The council of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in which representatives of labor and management participate, shows a guideline for the amount of increase every year, and it is supposed to be decided for each prefecture based on it. started.

The labor union has complained that "a significant increase is needed to correct the disparity that is widening due to the corona disaster and to improve the treatment of essential workers who support society."

On the other hand, economic groups made up of small and medium-sized enterprises are calling for companies with poor performance to maintain their current levels, saying that they will be forced into a more difficult situation.

Regarding the minimum wage, the national average for the four years up to FY2019 was 25 to 27 yen, a significant increase of about 3% every year.

However, last year, the highest priority was to protect employment due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and the council could not give a guideline, and the national average was only raised by 1 yen. The focus is on becoming.

The council is expected to give a guideline for raising the price as early as the 13th, but it is expected that discussions will be difficult due to the wide gap between labor and management.

Labor-management claims are wide

There is a widening gap between unions calling for a significant increase in the minimum wage this year and companies seeking to maintain current levels.

From the labor union, the difficulty of living is becoming more serious mainly for women working in non-regular employment due to the influence of the new coronavirus. There was an opinion that it should be fulfilled.

The "Union" is calling for a significant increase in the minimum wage, saying that the wages of all workers should be 1000 yen or more per hour.

On the other hand, there is an opinion from the company side that there are industries such as the restaurant industry, accommodation industry, and transportation industry that continue to have severe business performance due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and if the minimum wage is raised significantly, it may not be possible to maintain employment of employees. it was done.

The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and others are demanding that the minimum wage be maintained at the current level.

Big difference between prefectures

Currently, the national average wage is 902 yen per hour, and there is a large difference in the amount between prefectures.

Looking at the minimum wage by prefecture, the highest wage is 1013 yen in Tokyo, followed by Kanagawa at 1012 yen and Osaka at 964 yen.

On the other hand, the lowest is 792 yen in 7 prefectures of Akita, Tottori, Shimane, Kochi, Saga, Oita and Okinawa.

The difference between the highest Tokyo and the lowest seven prefectures is 221 yen.

The minimum wage is determined based on living standards and the solvency of companies, and the difference between the highest and lowest regions was 104 yen in 2002, but it has more than doubled in the last 20 years or so. It was.

The previous increase

The national average of the minimum wage was 663 yen in 2002, but it increased to 902 yen in 2020, which has been raised by 239 yen in the last 18 years.

In 2002 and 2004 after the burst of the IT bubble, and in 2009 after the Lehman shock, the council of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare did not give an estimate of the amount of increase, and the amount of increase shown in 2003 was 0 yen. In both cases, the actual amount of increase remained at a low level.

The government has set a goal of "aiming for an hourly wage of 1,000 yen on a national average," and from FY2016 to FY2019, the national average increase amount was 25 to 27 yen, a significant increase of about 3% every year.

However, last year, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the council could not give a guideline for the increase, and the national average was only 1 yen increase.

Men who work in non-regular employment

Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the minimum wage was hardly raised last year, so people who work in non-regular employment are calling for a significant increase.

A man in his thirties working in Tokyo works five days a week as a contract employee who renews his contract every year at an incorporated administrative agency.

I work as a clerical worker for 7 hours and 45 minutes a day, and my daily salary is 8980 yen.

When converted to an hourly wage, it is 1158 yen, which is close to the minimum wage of 1013 yen in Tokyo.

Even if the salary is paid on a daily basis, it is necessary to secure the minimum wage by converting it into the prescribed working hours and the amount per hour.

For this reason, raising the minimum wage will increase men's income.

According to men, the average monthly income is about 150,000 yen, and since the salary is paid on a daily basis, it is said that if there are many holidays in that month, it will be reduced to about 120,000 yen.

Men live with their parents at home and do not have to pay rent.

However, he says that he cannot save money because he pays tens of thousands of yen a month and pays for food.

Every month, before the payday, my savings balance is almost exhausted, so I refrain from shopping as much as possible to save on living expenses.

Also, since the one-year contract as a contract employee will expire in March next year, it is said that there is a great deal of anxiety about life because it is necessary to find a new job.

Men say, "I'm worried about what will happen to my life because I need a lot of money when I get sick. I'm happy even if I get married or have children in the future because I have little income and little savings. I wonder if it can be done. I would like the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's council to provide a guideline that will lead to a significant increase in the minimum wage. "