JITCO

Seminar and Meeting in China

On November 14, 2008, JITCO held an explanatory meeting for sending organizations in Hefei City, Anhui Province, with attendance of 200 people from sending organizations accredited by the Sino-Japan Trainee Cooperation of China (SJTCOC), the trainee-dispatch bases, and the section of local government supervising commerce. The seminar was intended to promote genuine and proper sending procedures by explaining the Japanese Immigration Acts and the labor laws. This was the second seminar held in a sending country after the one held in the Philippines last July.

A representative from JITCO's Immigration Department explained some key points of the revised guideline of Japanese Ministry of Justice as well as the immigration control administration and the related issues. A speaker from the Human Resources Development Department reported on seven incidents while explaining points in labor management for technical interns: (1) clear notification of labor conditions; (2) ban on assumption of penalty charges; (3) ban on forced savings; (4) passports, alien registration cards, and bank account books in the possession of inters themselves; (5) money and valuables in the possession of interns themselves; (6) rules of employment; (7) health and safety management; and, (8) application of health insurance and worker's compensation insurance.

Sending organizations showed much interest and enthusiasm by asking many questions, such as how to calculate working hours and how the training program will be revised in the future.

Seminar for Sending Organizations in Anhui, China

Prior to the seminar, JITCO held a meeting with SJTCOC. SJTCOC mentioned that the State Council had decided to transfer the authority to supervise overseas manpower agency from the former Ministry of Labor and Social Security, currently the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, to the Ministry of Commerce. Due to the change, sending organizations will be controlled under the uniformed regulations by the Ministry of Commerce.

The progress on setting up the regulations on service charges applicable to trainees and interns dispatched to Japan, as mentioned in the previous meeting in May, was also mentioned. The maximum limit of the charges will be set at 25,000 yuan with the following points in consideration: (1) protecting trainees' rights; (2) minimizing trainees' financial burden; and, (3) ensuring the genuine and proper operation of sending organizations' businesses. The new regulations also stipulate that, upon signing contracts, sending organizations must ensure that the trainees' monthly allowances from accepting organizations should not be less than 60,000 yen, and that monthly sending administration fees should not be less than 20,000 yen per trainee.

The regulations are effective from December 1,2008. The details can be referred to the webpage:
http://www.chinca.org/newsShow.aspx?menuID=10&newsID=4088

JITCO also provided updates on its efforts to ensure proper operation of the training program, and asked for furtherer cooperation from SJTCOC.

Meeting with SJTCOC