 Workers at IHI demand an end to discrimination against Communist party members in the workplace Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. (IHI), Japan's leading machinery maker, still discriminates against Japanese Communist Party members despite its promise to end such practices in a court-mediated settlement with workers. On March 25, 112 IHI workers (including retirees) requested the Tokyo Labor Bureau to take action to force IHI to stop discriminating against particular employees based on political ideology. The Tokyo Labor Bureau official said, "We will ask the Labor Standards Inspection Office to investigate into your case." IHI for more than 30 years used its "ZC (zero communists) management plan" to harass those who are JCP members by taking jobs away from them and paying them unreasonably low wages. This was how the company tried to put all workers under strict ideological control. In March 2004, IHI in an out-of-court settlement admitted the existence of the "ZC" roster, expressed apology for the wrongdoing, and promised to correct the pay scale and treatment of workers and to take measures to prevent the recurrence of such discrimination. (end) |