Draft Policies for 2007 Spring Joint Labor Negotiations Now on the Table
On December 7, Rengo (the Japanese Trade Union Confederation) officially determined its Spring Struggle Policy for 2007. The policy aims to surpass the achievements of the 2006 spring struggle by seeking, for example, raises in basic payments and hourly wages, rectification of differentials and wage curves, and an increase in the wages of low-income earners. On the other hand, the Rengo-MSE (Medium and Small-sized Enterprises) Joint Struggle Committee aims to halt the lowering of wage levels of small and medium-sized labor unions, setting its rough target of wage improvement at a minimum of 2,500 yen.
In the meantime, the People's Spring Struggle Joint Committee, an organization comprised of Zenroren (the National Confederation of Trade Unions) and other unions, is to propose and discuss draft policies for the 2007 Spring Struggle; then, on January 18, it will officially determine its policies. More specifically, it will aim at wage increases including basic pay hikes, and set "the rectification of income disparity and poverty" as its top priority in establishing a nationwide uniform minimum wage system while calling for equal treatment of non-regular workers. For this, the Joint Committee will strive to improve the situation of increases in non-regular employment, the widening of the income gap, the emergence of a "working poor," the increase in overly long and taxing work, and mental health problems among workers due to excessively strict personnel management. In this sense, there is little difference between the targets of Rengo and Zenroren.
As seen in "Current Topics" of the Japan Labor Flash No.73, leading iron and steel companies have decided to raise wages in the coming spring for the first time in six years. Following this, leading companies in the shipbuilding and heavy machinery industry decided to take similar steps and presented a plan to their labor unions, giving the impression that the move towards pay hikes is becoming more and more widespread.
The year 2006 was a year in which the Japanese economy began to look up as firms began making substantially increased profits. Thanks to a large surge in tax revenues, the government has decided to reduce the amount of government bonds to be issued by 2.5 trillion yen in fiscal year 2007. Either way, the 2007 spring struggle will be held in an environment in which an apparently enduring economic boom and a substantial increase in corporate profits among leading companies do not result in the pay hikes which workers deserve.
In October, Rengo president Tsuyoshi Takagi, firmly determined to achieve wage improvements, emphasized that labor unions must not neglect excessively long working hours and called for rectification of this problem. One wonders if there will be any specific progress in the persistent problem of long working hours. This year, frequent bullying and related suicides among schoolchildren have become a serious social problem. From this standpoint, more attention should be paid to the fact that excessively long working hours deprive parents of precious time to spend with their children.
