Japan Press Weekly

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2016 February 3 - 9 [LABOR]

Workers stand up against Toshiba’s massive downsizing plan

In opposition to Toshiba’s large-scale personnel reduction plan, over 100 workers and their supporters held a rally in Tokyo on February 6.

In September 2015, it came to light that Toshiba Corporation, a leading electrical machinery manufacturer in Japan, had inflated its earnings for seven years, totaling 225 billion yen. The company’s overall deficits are predicted to reach 710 billion yen in fiscal 2015 ending on March 31.

Taking advantage of this predicament, Toshiba announced in December 2015 that it will cut more than 10,000 jobs by the end of March 2017.

At the rally, Imai Setsuo, representative of a network of workers in the electrical machinery industry, gave a speech on behalf of the organizers. Imai pointed out that it is the management’s repeated criminal acts that have led the maker to the present crisis. Noting that it is absolutely intolerable for the company to force its employees to pay the price for its window dressing actions, he stressed the need to push the firm to fulfill its social responsibility.

A member of a group made up of current and retired Toshiba workers said that the group will work to strengthen the campaign together with local residents in order to block the planned closure of a factory in Ome City in western Tokyo.

A Toshiba worker said, “In personal interviews with my superiors, I continue claiming that I won’t leave the company. We need more public support to win this fight.”

Officials of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the regional committee of the Japanese Communist Party delivered speeches in solidarity.

Past related article:
> Toshiba commits accounting fraud while promoting nuclear power [July 28, 2015]