Japan Press Weekly

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2012 September 12 - 18 TOP3 [LABOR]

Electronics workers share info concerning 132,000-job cuts

Workers and ex-workers in the electronics manufacturing industry, where 132,000-job cuts are underway, met together in Atami City in Shizuoka on September 15 to exchange information and share their experiences in regard to ongoing restructuring schemes such as the policy of forcible early retirement.

On the same day, the Denki-Joho Union, a union for individual workers in the electronics and information sectors, also held its convention in Shizuoka and decided to join in the struggle with the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren). The chairman reported that the union membership has doubled since its inauguration just a year ago.

An NEC worker accused the company of conducting blackmail tactics in interviews and forcing workers on sick or maternity leave to accept early retirement. This worker said that one manager is threatening his subordinates with hinting at more job cuts although the company itself announced that its restructuring scheme is going well as planned.

A worker at a leading semiconductor maker, Renesas, criticized the company’s restructuring scheme for destroying local economies because it plans to halve the number of its domestic factories from the current 18 and to reduce 30% or 14,000 workers on the company’s payroll.

A delegate of Sharp Corporation workers reported that Sharp aims to have 2,000 workers voluntarily retire in November. This person is concerned that the usual performance appraisal interviews may possibly change to an opportunity for the company to force workers to accept early retirement.

A delegate of Panasonic workers spoke of their activities handing out flyers in front of factory gates to inform workers of a disguised deficit which the company is using as an excuse to carry out corporate restructuring despite having a surplus in its core business.

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At the Denki-Joho Union convention, a worker of NEC subsidiary in his 40s described his experience in fierce interviews for corporate restructuring as follows:

Restructuring interviews started in May.

I had been repeatedly told, “There is no job for you” and “there will be trouble if you remain with the company,” by my superior. Due to these interviews, I suffered from insomnia and emotional distress, and lost more than five kilos.

One day after I refused an interview, I received an e-mail from the superior stating, “You are not a child, so it is on your head!” One week later, I was suddenly called to an interview with a company director and a personnel manager. That was a start of persisting interviews with some going on for two hours.

I was told in the interviews that if I did not accept early retirement, they could transfer me to Syria which has been in a state of civil war.

After dozens of interviews, I started to think of killing myself because I was emotionally distraught. A Tokyo Labor Bureau directive stopped the company from continuing to interview me, but I began facing power harassment from my superior.

One day in July, when I was working overtime under my superior’s order, the superior forced me to not punch in for overtime. Despite this, I was prohibited to come to work ahead of time.

This is what my daily work situation was like, but thanks to the Denki-Joho Union and many others who are also facing a forcible retirement practice in various workplaces, I am still alive. I want the working environment to be pleasant and humane for workers. Together with the union, I will continue working hard toward an NEC policy turnaround.