Japan Press Weekly

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2012 March 7 - 13 [LABOR]

Day of Action in 2012 Spring Struggle demands pay hikes to boost economy

Three thousand workers gathered in Tokyo’s central district on March 8 to demand pay hikes for all workers to recover from the sagging economy and to oppose a consumption tax increase and cutbacks in social welfare programs.

The Day of Action was held as part of the 2012 Spring Struggle when many companies are scheduled to release their initial responses to workers’ demands.

The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the Spring Struggle Joint Acton Committee co-organized a rally in front of the labor ministry. Zenroren President Daikoku Sakuji made a speech criticizing the outrageous behavior of large corporations moving factories overseas, firing regular workers, and reducing the prices paid for subcontractors’ products and services. He demanded that large corporations raise workers’ wages by utilizing at least a portion of their massive 266 trillion yen in internal reserves, and appealed for further struggles to protect domestic industries.

The Zenroren Public Workers Section organized a protest meeting before the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications against the passage of the law on special measures to reduce public workers’ pay. Japan Federation of Prefectural and Municipal Workers' Unions (Jichiroren) President Nomura Yukihiro accused the special measures act for its possibility to further worsen the working conditions of public employees by decreasing the public workers’ pay by 7.8% on average. He demanded a pay raise and the restoration of public workers’ basic rights.

At the same rally, a representative of the Liaison-Council of Labor Unions in Public Corporations hit out at the Ministry for its intent to cut the wages of workers in public corporations. A worker from the Japan Post union disclosed that 64% of the temporary workers there earn less than 2 million yen annually, demanding that Japan Post hire them as permanent staff and give them equal treatment as full-time workers.

The Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions (Iroren) organized a sit-in before the Diet with 200 workers, some wearing work uniforms, demanding an increase in the number of nurses and care-workers. A medical worker from Kyoto complained through a loud speaker about the dire state of medical workers, saying, “Medical workers are quitting one after another because their physical and mental health is being destroyed by the harsh working conditions.” There was also criticism against the revised long-term nursing-care insurance act to take effect from this April that will cause a decline in income for caregivers.

Teachers unions mobilized a hundred participants for a rally at the Diet and made representations to Dietmembers to request the expansion of the scope and extent of tuition-free higher education. All Japan Teachers and Staff Union (Zenkyo) President Kitamura Yoshihisa also called for the introduction of a scholarship program that does not require repayment.

The Japan Federation of National Service Employees (Kokko-roren) took up the issue of the dismissals of 525 workers when the Social Insurance Agency was privatized. Participants demanded the Ministry of Welfare and Labor to annul the dismissals and make the Japan Pension Service rehire them.

Some 550 taxi drivers under the All Japan Automobile Transport Workers' Unions (Jiko-soren) gathered in front of the Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Ministry to demand improvement of working conditions and safer taxi services. President Iinuma Hiroshi said, “Although over-deregulation in taxi services was partly redressed, we haven’t seen any increase in wages. The labor ministry should issue directives to taxi operators to ensure their compliance with minimum wage standards and the Labor Standards Act.”