December 5&6, 2013
The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) on December 4 staged a day of action in Tokyo to support workers struggling against unfair dismissals, termination of fixed-term employment contracts, and wage discrimination.
About 300 workers of Zenroren-affiliated unions, including the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU), assembled in front of the Labor Ministry office building to hold a street drive.
Zenroren President Daikoku Sakuji in his speech stressed that the government should move not to enact a state secrets bill but to restrict employers’ abusive labor practices such as IBM Japan’s “lockout” dismissals and dismissals of public insurance agency workers following the agency’s privatization. Daikoku called on union members to continue their struggles to win all labor disputes.
In front of Japan’s major cosmetics manufacturer Shiseido, female agency workers and their supporters got together to demand that the company retract the termination of contracts with agency workers. They said, “It is unacceptable for employers to take away workers’ sense of human dignity.”
Similar gatherings took place in front of the head offices of Japan Airlines, which had carried out a massive dismissal of pilots and cabin attendants, and Sony, which forces workers to accept early retirement by using such tactics as isolating them from coworkers or transferring them to distant locations.
On the evening of the same day, at the conclusion of the daylong action, all participants converged at the Hibiya Amphitheater to hold a rally in protest against the “lockout” dismissal of workers at IBM Japan.
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On the same day, a nationwide group supporting the former IBM Japan workers’ court battle held an inauguration rally in Tokyo with 800 people attending.
IBM Japan dismissed workers with the so-called “lockout” tactic in which targeted workers were unilaterally kicked out from the company grounds soon after receiving their dismissal notice. Among 30 laid-off workers, 26 are members of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU). Of them, 10 JMIU members are waging court battles.
JMIU IBM Japan Branch Chair Ooka Yoshihisa at the rally said, “It is unacceptable for IBM to lay off workers in such a way as to undermine workers’ human dignity.”
Past related articles:
> Ex-social insurance agency workers sue for revocation of their unfair dismissals [November 15, 2013]
> International pilots group calls for JAL dismissals to be settled [October 24, 2013]
> Woman in child-rearing year fights against IBM Japan’s ‘lockout dismissal’ [August 10, 2013]
> Workers strike against IBM Japan’s ‘lockout’ layoffs [June 4, 2013]
> Relocation of worker to distant office must be cancelled: Sony workers’ union [June 27, 2013]
> Shiseido’s ‘ugly’ dismissal of temporary workers [January 8, 2013]
About 300 workers of Zenroren-affiliated unions, including the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU), assembled in front of the Labor Ministry office building to hold a street drive.
Zenroren President Daikoku Sakuji in his speech stressed that the government should move not to enact a state secrets bill but to restrict employers’ abusive labor practices such as IBM Japan’s “lockout” dismissals and dismissals of public insurance agency workers following the agency’s privatization. Daikoku called on union members to continue their struggles to win all labor disputes.
In front of Japan’s major cosmetics manufacturer Shiseido, female agency workers and their supporters got together to demand that the company retract the termination of contracts with agency workers. They said, “It is unacceptable for employers to take away workers’ sense of human dignity.”
Similar gatherings took place in front of the head offices of Japan Airlines, which had carried out a massive dismissal of pilots and cabin attendants, and Sony, which forces workers to accept early retirement by using such tactics as isolating them from coworkers or transferring them to distant locations.
On the evening of the same day, at the conclusion of the daylong action, all participants converged at the Hibiya Amphitheater to hold a rally in protest against the “lockout” dismissal of workers at IBM Japan.
**********
On the same day, a nationwide group supporting the former IBM Japan workers’ court battle held an inauguration rally in Tokyo with 800 people attending.
IBM Japan dismissed workers with the so-called “lockout” tactic in which targeted workers were unilaterally kicked out from the company grounds soon after receiving their dismissal notice. Among 30 laid-off workers, 26 are members of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU). Of them, 10 JMIU members are waging court battles.
JMIU IBM Japan Branch Chair Ooka Yoshihisa at the rally said, “It is unacceptable for IBM to lay off workers in such a way as to undermine workers’ human dignity.”
Past related articles:
> Ex-social insurance agency workers sue for revocation of their unfair dismissals [November 15, 2013]
> International pilots group calls for JAL dismissals to be settled [October 24, 2013]
> Woman in child-rearing year fights against IBM Japan’s ‘lockout dismissal’ [August 10, 2013]
> Workers strike against IBM Japan’s ‘lockout’ layoffs [June 4, 2013]
> Relocation of worker to distant office must be cancelled: Sony workers’ union [June 27, 2013]
> Shiseido’s ‘ugly’ dismissal of temporary workers [January 8, 2013]
