diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/AbstractStepFactoryBean.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/AbstractStepFactoryBean.java
index bbf4bb347..7f2cde993 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/AbstractStepFactoryBean.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/AbstractStepFactoryBean.java
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractStepFactoryBean<T> implements FactoryBean, BeanNam
 
 	private boolean allowStartIfComplete;
 
-	private ItemReader<T> itemReader;
+	private ItemReader<? extends T> itemReader;
 
-	private ItemWriter<T> itemWriter;
+	private ItemWriter<? super T> itemWriter;
 
 	private PlatformTransactionManager transactionManager;
 	
@@ -114,14 +114,14 @@ public abstract class AbstractStepFactoryBean<T> implements FactoryBean, BeanNam
 	/**
 	 * @param itemReader the itemReader to set
 	 */
-	public void setItemReader(ItemReader<T> itemReader) {
+	public void setItemReader(ItemReader<? extends T> itemReader) {
 		this.itemReader = itemReader;
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * @param itemWriter the itemWriter to set
 	 */
-	public void setItemWriter(ItemWriter<T> itemWriter) {
+	public void setItemWriter(ItemWriter<? super T> itemWriter) {
 		this.itemWriter = itemWriter;
 	}
 
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractStepFactoryBean<T> implements FactoryBean, BeanNam
 	 * Protected getter for the {@link ItemReader} for subclasses to use.
 	 * @return the itemReader
 	 */
-	protected ItemReader<T> getItemReader() {
+	protected ItemReader<? extends T> getItemReader() {
 		return itemReader;
 	}
 
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractStepFactoryBean<T> implements FactoryBean, BeanNam
 	 * Protected getter for the {@link ItemWriter} for subclasses to use
 	 * @return the itemWriter
 	 */
-	protected ItemWriter<T> getItemWriter() {
+	protected ItemWriter<? super T> getItemWriter() {
 		return itemWriter;
 	}
 
@@ -238,8 +238,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractStepFactoryBean<T> implements FactoryBean, BeanNam
 
 		step.setStreams(streams);
 
-		ItemReader<T> itemReader = getItemReader();
-		ItemWriter<T> itemWriter = getItemWriter();
+		ItemReader<? extends T> itemReader = getItemReader();
+		ItemWriter<? super T> itemWriter = getItemWriter();
 
 		// Since we are going to wrap these things with listener callbacks we
 		// need to register them here because the step will not know we did
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleItemHandler.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleItemHandler.java
index be2fe6829..5f16c69f3 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleItemHandler.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SimpleItemHandler.java
@@ -42,15 +42,15 @@ public class SimpleItemHandler<T> implements ItemHandler {
 
 	protected final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(getClass());
 
-	private ItemReader<T> itemReader;
+	private ItemReader<? extends T> itemReader;
 
-	private ItemWriter<T> itemWriter;
+	private ItemWriter<? super T> itemWriter;
 
 	/**
 	 * @param itemReader
 	 * @param itemWriter
 	 */
-	public SimpleItemHandler(ItemReader<T> itemReader, ItemWriter<T> itemWriter) {
+	public SimpleItemHandler(ItemReader<? extends T> itemReader, ItemWriter<? super T> itemWriter) {
 		super();
 		this.itemReader = itemReader;
 		this.itemWriter = itemWriter;
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SkipLimitStepFactoryBean.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SkipLimitStepFactoryBean.java
index d3cffe539..d27e40d09 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SkipLimitStepFactoryBean.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/item/SkipLimitStepFactoryBean.java
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ public class SkipLimitStepFactoryBean<T> extends SimpleStepFactoryBean<T> {
 		 * @param retryTemplate
 		 * @param itemKeyGenerator
 		 */
-		public StatefulRetryItemHandler(ItemReader<T> itemReader, ItemWriter<T> itemWriter, RetryOperations retryTemplate,
+		public StatefulRetryItemHandler(ItemReader<? extends T> itemReader, ItemWriter<? super T> itemWriter, RetryOperations retryTemplate,
 				ItemKeyGenerator itemKeyGenerator, ItemSkipPolicy readSkipPolicy, ItemSkipPolicy writeSkipPolicy) {
 			super(itemReader, itemWriter);
 			this.retryOperations = retryTemplate;
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/support/DelegatingItemWriter.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/support/DelegatingItemWriter.java
index 5f4ef6501..f5d960c96 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/support/DelegatingItemWriter.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/support/DelegatingItemWriter.java
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.Assert;
  */
 public class DelegatingItemWriter<I, O> implements ItemWriter<I>, InitializingBean {
 
-	private ItemWriter<O> delegate;
+	private ItemWriter<? super O> delegate;
 
 	/**
 	 * Default constructor.
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class DelegatingItemWriter<I, O> implements ItemWriter<I>, InitializingBe
 	/**
 	 * @param itemWriter
 	 */
-	public DelegatingItemWriter(ItemWriter<O> itemWriter) {
+	public DelegatingItemWriter(ItemWriter<? super O> itemWriter) {
 		this();
 		this.delegate = itemWriter;
 	}
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ public class DelegatingItemWriter<I, O> implements ItemWriter<I>, InitializingBe
 	/**
 	 * Setter for {@link ItemWriter}.
 	 */
-	public void setDelegate(ItemWriter<O> writer) {
+	public void setDelegate(ItemWriter<? super O> writer) {
 		this.delegate = writer;
 	}