The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that it is unreasonable for Japan Post Co. not to provide its fixed-term employees with the same allowances it pays to regular workers.

The top court's judgement in favor of nonregular workers came two days after its rulings against them in two different cases over a law that prohibits unreasonable gaps between the treatment of such employees and regular workers.

The court's No. 1 Petty Bench, presided over by Justice Atsushi Yamaguchi, addressed allowances widely paid in Japan to employees whose family members are financially dependent on them as well as extra pay for work during the year-end and New Year holidays -- the busiest season for the mail service due to greeting-card delivery.

A total of 12 nonregular employees, including two who have since retired, had filed three lawsuits in 2014 in Tokyo, Osaka in western Japan and Saga in southwestern Japan, leading to different high court rulings in the respective regions.

After the law prohibiting unreasonable gaps in treatment between fixed-term and indefinite-term employees took effect in 2013, the government set a policy of equal pay for equal work but critics say it is unclear to what extent it prevents different treatment.

The employees working at post offices in six prefectures as well as the capital also took issue with their employer for not entitling them to summer and winter holidays or sick leave.

Among nationwide mail service workers, about 180,000 are fixed-term employees, almost equal in number to the some 190,000 regular employees, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs.

On Tuesday, the top court rejected the provision of bonus and retirement payments to nonregular employees of Osaka Medical College and Metro Commerce, a subsidiary of Tokyo Metro Co., which runs the capital's subway system.

The Supreme Court had said in June 2018 that whether different treatment is unreasonable should be judged not only by the total pay but by the purpose of each item making up pay and allowances.

==Kyodo

© Kyodo News International, Inc., source Newswire