Japan Press Weekly

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2015 July 22 - 28 [POLITICS]

Labor unions increasing their efforts to scrap war bills

In concert with growing public movements against Prime Minister Abe’s move to enact security-related legislation, labor unions are increasing their efforts, including a strike vote and adopting a resolution, with the aim to block the move.

The All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU), which is affiliated with the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), on July 11 and 12 held its annual convention and decided to take various actions, such as the use of the right to strike, to resist the government move. Following the convention, JMIU locals across Japan held urgent meetings at their workplaces, adopted resolutions, and sent them to the prime minister.

In Ueda City in Nagano Prefecture, a JMIU branch at Kanetec Co., Ltd, a magnet-related manufacturer, on July 15 urgently organized a rally in the company office building with all union members taking part and adopted a resolution stating that in solidarity with public movements throughout Japan the union will work hard to kill the proposed war bills. The resolution was mailed to the prime minister’s office.

On July 17, in protest against the forced passage of the bills through the House of Representatives on the previous day, JMIU members working at the Lixil Suzuki Shutter’s Kawagoe factory in Saitama Prefecture held a protest rally during the lunch hour, attracting many unorganized workers.

The Zenroren-affiliated General Federation of Japan Printing and Publishing Workers’ Unions (Zen’in soren) held its annual general meeting on July 11-12 in Shiga’s Otsu City. In the meeting, delegates from regional federations reported that their federations have received members’ support to strike action as a means of objecting to the war bills.

The National Federation of Dockworkers’ Unions of Japan (Zenkoku-kowan), which represents all port/harbor workers in Japan, on July 16 resolved to protest against the Abe administration’s attempt to undermine the Japanese Constitution and work hard to scrap the war legislation-related bills. In the resolution, the union stressed that in past wars, even commercial ports and harbors played a role as logistics support bases and maritime workers were not only used as helpmates but also victimized in various ways. The union expressed its determination to kill the bills in order to protect dockworkers’ lives.