IHI comes to term with 175 workers to end 40-year anti-communist discrimination

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IHI comes to term with 175 workers to end 40-year anti-communist discrimination

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. (IHI) on January 19 expressed remorse over discrimination against Japanese Communist Party members and supporters in the workplace, and promised to take measures to prevent any recurrence.

The major heavy machinery maker reached a settlement agreement with 175 employees and ex-employees who had filed a complaint with the Labor Standards Inspection Office requesting the office to instruct IHI to end the discrimination.

Their legal team stated, "It is epoch-making for a large corporation to clearly express its remorse for the first time over discrimination and human rights violations on the grounds of ideology."

IHI secretly drew up a plan to eradicate communists called the "Zero-Communist Plan," and systematically practiced discrimination based on the plan for 40 years. In addition to the plan, the corporation formulated individually "top secret" plans to keep each communist member under surveillance and control them.

In the agreement on preventive measures, IHI stated, "IHI will no longer practice discrimination against the employees on the grounds of ideology, gender, or unfair labor practices," and expressed that the corporation will instruct all employees not to engage in discrimination.

IHI will also redress its discriminative wage system and pay a settlement to the 175 workers.

In a rally held after signing the agreement, about 300 JCP member workers and supporters shared their triumph. JCP House of Representatives members Kasai Akira and Takahashi Chizuko also attended the rally.

One of the complainants, Kaneko Shigeo, said, "Nobody even got on an elevator with me. But this agreement has established a basis to create a workplace intolerant of any kind of discrimination. Our struggle has proved to be right."
- Akahata, January 20, 2007