Japan Press Weekly

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2022 October 19 - 25 [LABOR]

Transport workers’ union resolves to achieve better working conditions and improve public transit system for users

The All-Japan Federation of Automobile Transport Workers’ Union (Jikosoren, ATU), consisting of taxi and bus drivers and driver's school staff, on October 18-19 held its annual convention in Tokyo.

The convention adopted a new action program for the next year which aims to achieve goals, such as improving public transportation in local and rural communities, winning better working conditions to ensure user safety, and building a stronger union.

On the first day, presenting the action program, ATU Secretary General Kikuchi Kazuhiko noted that under the 30-month-long COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, taxi drivers’ annual income decreased to 2.49 million yen, one-half of that of other industry workers. However, Kikuchi said that pushed by the union, employers decided to provide their workers with compensation for corona-caused loss of earnings with the use of government subsidies. He called on the union members to work hard to build a stronger ATU by talking about the importance of the union’s role to ununionized workers.

In the two-day discussion session, a delegate of the ATU Tohoku regional organization, who participated in the convention online, reported, “In Miyagi Prefecture, the union worked together with a municipality to establish a transport system using nine-passenger van taxi cabs.” A delegate from Fukuoka Prefecture said that the union concluded with an opposition/concerned citizens-backed candidate, who will run in the Fukuoka City mayoral election scheduled for November, an agreement regarding a policy on public transportation including taxis.

On the final day, the convention elected a new leadership led by new ATU Chair Niwada Hiroyuki and new ATU Secretary General Takashiro Masatoshi.