2010 August 25 - 31 [
LABOR]
Strong yen and overworked workers
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August 26, 2010
Japan’s export surplus is snowballing as the auto and other industries are squeezing their workers and subcontractors while expanding their production and exports. This has led to the appreciation of the yen. One U.S. dollar is exchanged for 83 yen, the record marked 15 years ago.
Japanese exports have grown remarkably in the first half of this year. They increased by 40 percent from a year before, making Japan’s trade surplus 6.3 times more than just one year ago. The number of exported cars was 65 percent more to the U.S. and 1.4 times more to China. These are the figures compiled by the government, but the reality behind the numbers was recently revealed by Akahata.
At Isuzu Motors Tochigi Plant, workers are working overtime and even on holidays due to the recovery of production. An employee in his 50s had a nervous breakdown from overwork at the plant. Another worker quit his job because it was too hard to continue. The plant is obviously short-handed. At the end of 2008 during the recession, Isuzu dismissed 1,400 temporary and fixed-term contract workers.
Twelve of the fired workers have filed a lawsuit against the dismissal. They said, “It will also be beneficial to the company if it returns us to the factory as full-time workers because we can be immediately productive.” However, Isuzu is still recruiting employees under short-term contracts.
If many other major companies do the same thing as Isuzu, the yen will be even stronger, making it difficult to break the vicious circle. Being in business field for many years, they must be fully aware of this logic. But if they cannot stop following the path by themselves, what will make them do so is the power of workers’ struggles.
- Akahata, August 26, 2010
