September 12, 2023

The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zeneoren) Women’s Section on September 10 ended its 2-day annual convention in Tokyo and renewed its resolve to achieve a gender equal society.

Women’s Section head Funabashi Hatsue, delivering the opening speech, said that under the situation in which the cost of living crisis has become serious as prices are rising faster than wages, a substantial wage hike and a minimum wage increase to 1,500 yen an hour are urgently needed. However, she continued to say, the Kishida government intends to expand the role of precarious employment with a pro-business labor market reform. She stressed the need to exercise labor unions’ right to take industrial action, including engaging in strikes.

Funabashi pointed out that gender inequality evidenced by gender pay gaps and the concentration of women in low-paying jobs makes it difficult for women to gain financial independence. She called on union members to work hard to build a stronger Zenroren in order to attract more public attention to Zenroren’s efforts to realize gender equality.

In a discussion session, a delegate of the National Federation of Printing and Publishing Industry Workers' Unions (Zen’in soren) reported that in this year’s “shunto” labor offensive, the union succeeded in pushing companies to accept the union’s demand for a free supply of menstrual items to women workers in women’s restrooms. A Japan Federation of Medical Workers' Unions (Iroren) delegate talked about Iroren member unions’ accomplishments in this year’s spring labor-management talks. Some Iroren unions succeeded in raising the age of children covered by the short-time work system for childcare and winning paid menstrual leave for part-time workers.

Japan Federation of Women's Organizations (Fudanren) Chair Shibata Masako delivered a speech as a guest. Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Motomura Nobuko delivered a video message.