Japan Press Weekly

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2011 June 29 - July 5 [LABOR]

Government employees’ wage cuts irrational

Under the guise of securing financial resources to fund post-disaster reconstruction works, the Kan Administration plans to submit and enact a bill to reduce national government workers’ wages during this ordinary Diet session.

In an Akahata interview on June 29, Okabe Kan’ichi, secretary general of the Federation of National Public Service Employees’ Unions (Kokko-roren), pointed out some problems regarding the wage cut bill as follows:

The first problem is that as means of financial reconstruction, the government intends to reduce its workers’ wages.

We understand the necessity to reduce the national government debts. However, budget deficits have been created through policies implemented by successive governments. It is irrational to shift the financial burden onto public workers.

The second problem is that cuts in government employees’ wages may accelerate the economic downturn and have a negative impact on post-disaster efforts.

According to an estimation published by the Japan Research Institute of Labor Movement (Rodo-soken), wage cuts for national public servants will directly affect the wages of 6.26 million workers, including local government employees, public school teachers, and private sector workers. It also indicated that if the government slashes its workers’ wages, it will experience a three trillion yen fall in the gross domestic product and a 500 billion yen drop in tax revenues.

As the Rodo-soken estimated, cuts in government employees’ salaries will deliver a serious blow to Japan’s economy.

The third problem is that the government ignored the current system of determining its workers’ salaries.

At present, the government is required to decide national government employees’ wages in accordance with an annual salary recommendation issued by the National Personnel Authority (NPA).

The NPA recommendation system was established in return for restricting government workers’ basic labor rights.

The government, however, decided to reduce public servants’ wages before the NPA issued the recommendation. The NPA in its statement criticized the government’s decision for failing to follow the established system.

During a series of talks between the Kokko-roren and government officials, the union asked the officials to address these issues, but they gave no convincing answer.

Cutbacks in salaries of national government workers are not only unreasonable but also groundless. The Kokko-roren will increase efforts to strengthen opposition and arouse public opinion with the aim to abolish the government’s wage cut bill.