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attended the council, but voted against the recommendation. Despite union opposition, the
recommendation was approved by a majority at the advisory council. Following its passage,
the MOL drafted an outline of the revision of the Dispatched Manpower Business Act. The
outline was expected to be reviewed and approved by the advisory council on May 18.
However, all of the labor delegates refused to be present at the advisory council to authorize
the outline. The presence of at least one labor delegate is required by ministerial ordinance in
order to hold the Central Employment Stability Advisory Council when it reviews outlines of
laws. The MOL, hoping to propose the bill to the Diet at the provisional parliamentary session
starting from July 30, urgently negotiated with the unions. As a result of the MOL’s efforts,
the labor delegates agreed to open the advisory council, but in return the MOL had to promise
to revise the outline to a considerable degree.
The advisory council usually authorizes outlines of government bills on the same day that
it is consulted. The MOL broke this practice, presenting its initial outline based on the
recommendation on July 15, and then presenting a revised version of the outline on August 5.
The revised outline stated that dispatched manpower businesses would not be allowed in
inappropriate sectors, and that the Labor Minister must ask the opinion of the Central
Employment Stability Advisory Council to revise the boundaries of exception. Moreover, the
MOL pledged that the additional clauses of the revised Act would mention that manufacturing
lines would be exempt for a time. Due to the MOL’s concessions, the most controversial
issue was settled at this point. The labor delegates’ united action of non-attendance worked
effectively to extract this compromise.
Although the most pressing issue for Rengo was settled prior to the parliamentary session,
Rengo still lobbied opposition parties thereafter in an attempt to amend the government bill.
The Diet, in fact, significantly revised the bill. The deadline set by the cabinet had made it
impossible for the advisory council to discuss all the issues that labor and management did not
Convention