Union activists discuss ways to develop movement

About 300 workers from 41 prefectures discussed ways to develop the labor movement from various localities in a national exchange meeting held in Itoh City in Shizuoka Prefecture by the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) on May 15 and 16.

Following an opening address by Zenroren President Kumagai Kanemichi, Zenroren Secretary General Ban'nai Mitsuo gave the keynote report titled, "For the further development of regional movements."

Ban'nai reported that more than 12,000 workers during the past year visited local trade union federations for advice to solve their job-related problem and that an increasing number of workers joined a union, which led to the creation of about 400 new unions.

"With more than 20,000 local unions throughout the nation, Zenroren has developed joint actions in protest against the adverse revision of the labor laws and in defense of jobs and local economies," he added.

Ban'nai proposed that local federation be increased to 600 from the present 460 and that a full-time union organizer be placed in every local federation in order to develop the movement from various localities.

In the discussion that followed Ban'nai's report, a representative of the Hiki County Roren in Saitama Prefecture said that they had succeeded in retracting 500 employment transfers of the Bosch Group in Japan, an auto parts maker.

A representative of the Rokko Roren in Ibaraki Prefecture said that even the local police were surprised at the occurrence of a march in demonstration and a light-truck parade in the May Day action conducted in his locality for the first time in 22 years. (end)