My suggestion with a way to address the issues would be going back into education system and how we can encourage women to excel in their chosen careers and utilise educational opportunities.

It does mean that greater trust among participants needs to be developed so that individual members are free to make decisions about what actions to take, or service to provide. At the same time, the profession of volunteer management needs to be enhanced and encouraged so that when one does volunteer their time, the “system” is efficient enough so that the volunteer can be the most effective using their talents in the endeavor.

We need to continue to emphasize the benefits of volunteering for the greater good –defining this is concrete terms — is “what one gets for their money” — and that the skills, contacts, friendships developed will contribute to their profession and their own human development.

EPA Foreign Nurses and Caregivers now Working in Japan
in Need of Immediate Help

The Economic Partnership Agreement of Japan (EPA) with other countries, especially with the Philippines (JPEPA) has put a lot of nurses and caregivers in grave situations where unfair labor practices, pressure on kanji study, and poor salaries make the health workers’ lives in Japan miserable.

When they arrived in Japan in May, 2009, the Filipino nurses and caregivers felt elated to be finally serving the Japanese society with their expertise, love and devotion to their career as hospital workers. After only six months of Nihongo study, three months of work in hospital, the Filipino nurses, like their Indonesian counterparts, now suffer from various hardships, caused not only by unfair work policies, low salaries, and local workers’ rejection, but also pressure to master medical-nursing kanji and Japan nursing system only those with high level-Grade 12 Japanese or nursing graduates could understand. Specifically, the nurses experience the following frustrating situations giving them no choice but contemplate on leaving Japan soon.

1. Japan puts the nurses and caregivers in a cheap labor trap, requiring them to pass the Licensure exam within three years, given only six months of formal Basic Nihongo study and occasional group reviews. The government and the JNA (Japan Nurses Association) insist that foreign nurses take the exam in Japanese without furigana phonetic guides for the kanji characters. The nurses could only be promoted to fulltime nurses position, acquire a privilege to bring their dependents to Japan if they pass the licensure exam. With medical kanji extremely difficult even to their Nihongo teachers, the stance of the government and JNA could reflect a rejection of foreign nurses merging into the local workforce, but a clear plan to temporarily use or exploit the foreign nurses for three years like any expendable commodity.

2. The salary and benefits with the gross totaling 120,000- 200,000 for these foreign workers are not enough to sustain a peaceful life in Japan. With majority of them receiving only about 60,000 yen net pay after deductions, everyone would have to employ great remedies to meet all his living expenses: portion of house rent, electricity, gas supply, internet connection, cell phone bills and transport expenses. This leaves the worker starving and unable to send any money for his or her dependents home. JICWELS (Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services) must choose only the hospitals who can afford to offer good wage packages. If some hospital administrators could make the local Japanese to work under a limited 7.5 hours per day for them to remain part-timers on a 900 yen hourly rate, applying the same policy to foreign workers who have no relatives in Japan to rely on is an utter abuse of the workers’ rights, disrespect for their experience and profession, and degradation of their worth as health workers.

3. Comparison, competition and insecurity could be observed between the local workers and foreign nurses. The presence of foreign workers in Japan hospitals could be taken as a threat to local workers’ employment status or hopes for salary improvement resulting to disrespect, scorn and unfriendly atmosphere in many work settings. The foreign nurses have been struggling to cope with their new environment trying to foster mutual understanding and cooperation. When they would really fit in and accepted is a question.

4. Japan’s nursing system is far different from other countries’ orientation and curriculum especially that of the Philippines. Considering the foreign nurses’ experience and education comparable to trainings in some Western countries, it is hard for the foreign nurses to adjust with the nature of assistant nurse work and nursing aide job. It was not clear to the nurses as well what specific job functions they’d be expected to perform. Japan nursing books, training materials and exam reviewers must also be translated and explained in English even though the nurses have already attained a certain level of Nihongo.

5. There is no existing training program or orientation on Japan nursing system offered to the foreign nurses before they were plunged into the normal job. Hospital administrators just rely on suggestions or complaints, many of which were ignored for new actions. Despite the absence of local training, nurses receive reprimands and ridiculous remarks from local workmates for their inability to perform according to the Japanese system. There is a need for an immersion and retraining of foreign nurses for them to keep to the standard of their host country.

6. The Japanese work ethics, ettiquette and culture differ greatly from foreign nurses’ work attitudes, culture and values. For foreign workers, rushing and scurrying at work reflects inefficiency and un-preparedness, but to the Japanese, this gesture proves one’s dedication and excellent performance. The foreign nurses believe that respect and professionalism must be observed among workmates, especially in the presence of the patients. For local worker leaders, bullying and humiliating a trainee nurse is a part of the training. Unaware that local workers are also suppressed and expected to endure hardship without complaining, foreign nurses often express their concern and suggestions when they see it fit. Unfortunately, doing so would just be seen as distrusting the management Criticisms could easily backfire on the most vocal of the workers.

7. There is no advancement or career development waiting for any foreign nurse in Japan. In fact, staying here longer and working as nursing aides with jobs similar to caregivers and domestic helpers could further stifle the workers’ career and status in global workforce. Working in some other countries where English is a tool for communication could enhance the dream growth to these nurses. Just like what some local workers say “You are not needed here”, “You’d better work in countries where you could communicate in English”, the foreign nurses must decide for what fate they envision. Japan has no program plan for their advancement because even the local workforce is deprived of opportunities.

8. There are no labor attaches to represent the causes of the foreign nurses as they are left to defend and fight for their rights on their own. JICWELS always sided with oppressive hospitals and would answer “they didn’t have any precedent of previous case experiences” so consequently, can’t transfer any nurse requesting for placement in better hospitals. It would just say that “everything the hospital says is final”. The foreign workers are burnt out at work and often exhausted in fighting for their own rights with uncaring administration.

Japan with JICWELS, and the Philippines, with POEA, must carefully examine the flaws made under the first batch of workers before the second batch comes to Japan in May, 2010. More health would be work-displaced, suffer from mental distress, frustrated at Nihongo exams and not properly compensated if both countries do not sit down together to address their alarming condition. These foreign workers are dedicated to their job, well accepted by patients, and are cheerfully caring to their ward. Hospitals, together with their local workers must, themselves ask for foreign workers, and subsequently welcome the foreigners to their workplaces offering support and cooperation. Only when Japan has answered these demands that it could truly call itself sincere in keeping with the mutual agreement. But as Japan tries to improve the conditions of the foreign workers, it must equally aid local workers’ causes and needs, and their demand for higher pay and benefits be similarly provided.
J.Homma in Saitama, Japan