 2005 Spring labor offensive starts "Block Keidanren's wage-cut offensive! Major corporations must meet their social responsibilities!" Such chants echoed in front of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) Building in Tokyo during lunch hour on January 20, initiating the start of Japan's spring labor offensive of 2005. About 1,000 workers from the Joint Struggle Council for Victory of People's Spring Labor Offensive and the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) marched in demonstration through Marunouchi, a block packed with major corporate head offices, to the Nippon Keidanren Building. Bannai Mitsuo, Zenroren secretary general, stated, "Despite record-high corporate profits, Keidanren plans to demote Japan's labor-capital system of annually settling wage levels into just a talking session so that they can more easily cut wages." Nikon unionist Tada Yasuhiro shouted, "Keidanren has proposed for a constitutional amendment as a manifest of its dream of dominating Japan's future. How can it be so arrogant!" Workers, including Zenroren president Kumagai Naomichi, together with air pollution victims of car emissions visited Toyota Motor Co.'s Tokyo office to urge it to meet its social responsibility. Ignoring the long economic slump, the Koizumi Cabinet in the ordinary Diet session is engrossed in implementing the "postal service reform." Zenroren on January 18 took to the streets in Tokyo, stressing that 1,598 out of about 3,000 local municipal assemblies have adopted resolutions in opposition to or calling for a thorough Diet discussion on the 'reform.' Other groups visited the Ministry of Finance and other government offices, saying, "Ordinary people never want such a postal reform. Retract the 9 trillion yen tax increase plan." (end) |