JCP branch inspired workers to fight-back

When a Japanese Communist Party member publicly raised concerns about the
company's plan to ask 300 employees to "volunteer" to retire, many workers
realized that something was wrong with the restructuring announcement.

Kyoto-based Murata Machinery announced in late October that it will cut
300 of its 4,160 jobs at the group's 15 companies, targeting workers between
33 and 58.

On November 8, Murata Machinery's management explained to its employees
that job cuts are an emergency measure necessary for the company to survive.
After a long silence, a JCP member stood up and said: "Can you promise us
that you will never use harassment tactics or threats to transfer workers to
other plants or another company in the group in order to force us into
quitting?"

This inspired many skilled workers in the meeting. Many nodded their
agreement and spoke up. At last, the general affairs section chief replied,
"We will not coerce or put pressure on workers into early retirement."

More than 10 years ago, JCP members were discriminated against based on
ideology. The JCP branch in the workplace fought back by publishing a
newspaper to expose the discrimination. Its publication was suspended,
however, after the discrimination problem was settled in 1997.

Following the announcement of the corporate restructuring plan, the JCP
branch spent many hours discussing ways to denounce the company's
anti-worker plan, and decided to resume the publication of its newspaper
"Shuttle."

The JCP workplace newspaper exposed the company's 8.2 billion yen in
internal reserves, and increases in both sales and profit. It said that
there is no reason for such a company to cut jobs, and that the company is
not living up to its social responsibility to the regional economy worthy of
its standing.

The JCP branch members distributed the paper at the entrance of the
company, and 90 percent of employees took them and some showed them to those
who dared not take them. Workers started counseling for workers' complaints
about their job security via e-mail and fax.

The Murata Machinery Trade Union, which is affiliated with the Japanese
Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), decided to accept the company offer to
recruit 300 voluntary retirees. But the decision was opposed by 30 percent
of union members, which is unprecedented.

To further ensure job security for the employees, the JCP branch at
Murata Machinery asked the Kyoto Labor Standards Inspection Office to advise
the company not to continue with forced early retirement. (end)