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Unions file complaint against Nestle Japan for violating OECD guidelines

The Nestle Japan Labor Union, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), and the Hyogo Prefectural Federation of Trade Unions on August 12 filed a complaint against Nestl?Japan with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, which is a Japanese national contact point of OECD, for violating the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

They argued that Nestle Japan has violated workers rights by forcing workers to voluntarily retire, transferring workers to distant plant locations in disregard of their need to take care of sick family members, and discriminating against certain workers in wages. They also pointed out that Nestle Japan has conducted unfair labor practices by being hostile to the labor union, concealing information of its wage system, corporate structure, and food safety, and closing plants without considering the effect on workers and local economies.

They requested that the national contact point set an opportunity for a dialogue between workers concerned and Nestle Japan and between Swiss and Japanese national contact points.

Nestle Japan Labor Union chair Sasaki Yasuaki said, "Nestle violates the U.N. Global Compact, a regulation on human rights and labor standards, as well as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Plant closures ignoring influences on local economies are also serious problems. I will make efforts to urge the multinational company to acknowledge its social responsibility."

The Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises is an international regulation calling on multinational companies to respect workers rights and disclose information. -- Akahata, August 17, 2005