An organization has been formed by messaging app provider Line Corp. and other companies involved in recruitment services to protect the rights of gig workers amid a rise in their numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Founded in late January, the Japan Spot Work Association will set up helplines and create ground rules for the industry, as gig workers are considered self-employed and therefore not guaranteed minimum wage or employment insurance under current labor laws.
The companies involved in the founding also include Tsunagu Group Holdings Inc., Sharefull Inc., HR Solutions Corp. and Wakrak Inc.
Gig workers are often employed through recruitment intermediary groups and undertake a wide range of one-off jobs. A recent increase in their numbers was spurred by a rise in popularity of food order and delivery services amid the pandemic.
However, there have been a number of instances in which their working conditions, such as wages and hours, differ from what was stipulated in a job description.
"We will endeavor to create an upstanding industry," Mitsuhiro Yoneda, CEO of Tsunagu Group and director of the association, said during a press conference on Feb. 17.
The rights of gig workers have recently been in the spotlight, with the European Union laying out plans in December last year proposing that firms employing them must treat the workers as employees and provide a minimum wage, among other rights.
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