Japan Press Weekly

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2012 January 11 - 17 [LABOR]

2012 Spring Struggle aims at achieving economic growth led by domestic demand

The People’s Spring Struggle Joint Committee on January 12 adopted an action policy for the 2012 spring wage struggle and the slogan, “Let’s win job security! Let’s achieve a domestic demand-centric economy and disaster recovery through wage hikes and improvement of social welfare services!”

In this year’s wage hike struggle, the Joint Committee will carry out actions to win a monthly wage increase of over 10,000 yen and an increase of over 100 yen in the hourly wage for all workers. It also calls for an establishment of minimum wage standards at 1,000 yen per hour, and 7,500 yen per day and 160,000 yen per month for full-time workers.

Joint Committee Chair and Zenroren President Daikoku Sakuji pointed out that even under Japan’s stagnant economy, large corporations have boosted their internal reserve funds to 266 trillion yen. He emphasized the need to redistribute some of this money to workers through pay raises to help create an economy led by domestic demand.

Daikoku also expressed his determination to oppose Noda’s “unified reform of social welfare systems and taxation,” that is centered on a consumption tax hike. He also called on union members to support movements calling for post-disaster recovery centering on disaster-hit regions’ needs and an end to nuclear power generation.

Union leaders in the Joint Committee consisting of the National Federation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and trade unions that are not affiliated with any national trade union center exchanged views on this year’s annual wage hike struggle.

A representative of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU) expressed his determination to win a substantial wage increase in order to meet workers’ demands.

A representative of the National Federation of Consumers’ Cooperatives Workers’ Union (Seikyororen) said that the union will strive to win an hourly minimum wage of 1,000 yen.