After hearing news about several Filipino trainees sent back home after having issues with their contracts, the government is now looking to set a standard across all partner companies authorized to hire foreign trainees under the training program regulated by the Japanese government.
The training program of the government has been a practical means for companies to acquire foreign talents who have the potential to work for them after completing the training program offered by each across a number of industries. However, this has been hotly criticized by onlookers because for some this has been a cheap labour pass for filling in the posts they need in the company, minus the regular benefits and rates of those who are considered as employed as opposed to those ‘under training’.
Major Japanese Companies Lose Permits to Hire Foreign Trainees due to Program Violations
The Justice Ministry has recently announced that they have revoked the accreditation permits of manufacturing giants Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Panasonic Corp. to accept foreign trainees under the Technical Intern Training Program, for ordering their trainees to perform work outside of the specifications indicated in their contracts, as well as other violations, as shared in a report by the Japan Times.
The violations, as per the Ministry, which also prompted accreditation to be denied for two other companies, may cost them the chance to benefit from the blue-collar visa system which aims to address the endemic labour shortage across various industries in the country.
Reported violations include reassignment of tasks outside of contract terms. The said violations had been on-going for over a decade and had only been identified in May of last year.
The reassignment was in direct violation of the Technical Intern Training Act, a 2017 law which requires stronger supervision of companies employing foreign nationals under the training program, as per officials.
Furthermore, the said violations will most likely bar these companies from gaining accreditation to accept new trainees for the next five years based on existing laws.