New Year Holiday Park Village for Jobless	No.618 January 20, 2009
		New Year Holiday Park Village for Jobless The financial crisis, beginning from the United States, has spread rapidly, attacking nations around the world. The economy of Japan has suddenly plunged into the recession as it was jolted by the harsh blow, though it had allegedly undergone the longest recovering phase which occurred once in the period over 60 years. Under these circumstances the Spring Labor Offensive 2009 will begin soon. Struggles are waged already to defend employment and livelihood for all workers, whether they are organized or unorganized workers. SPRING LABOR OFFENSIVE FOR EMPLOYMENT AND PEOPLE’S LIVES The economy of the nation declined sharply from September through the year-end. Temporary workers were hit most violently: they were sacked or laid off, or their contracts for employment were canceled. Nonpermanent workers abruptly became jobless, expelled from the dormitories. A temporary rescue village was set up in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park during the year-end and New Year holidays to provide with shelter and food to those who lost a job. Over 500 jobless stayed at the make-shift lodgings built up by members of the action committee led by the NPO Life Support Center and local labor unions. Later the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare offered its auditorium as a shelter since it was vacant during the holidays. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Chuo-ku City Office cooperated, too, by accommodating workers in the facilities. Politicians responded rather quickly. In the Diet session, which opened on January 5, the problems of sacked workers and inhumane treatment are debated. The Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party have reached an agreement to enhance regulations to seek prohibition of labor dispatch in the manufacturing sector. The Labor Ministry estimates that at least 85 thousand irregular workers will be dismissed by the end of March. A third of the figure represents workers employed in the manufacturing industries on the dispatch basis. Some claim that a fund for unpopular plan persisted by Prime Minister Aso should be spent to save jobless workers. The state leader plans to hand over in total 2 trillion Yen of tax money to every citizen as a benefit of an identical sum. Policies for Spring Offensive – Labor and Management The labor side unanimously confirms a policy ‘to defend employment and to raise wages’ during the Spring Offensive 09 period. The Rengo (=Japanese Trade Unions Confederation) has put up a target of wage hike for the first time after eight years. The unions’ national center presents three points: a guarantee of regular wage increase, a wage hike to cope with surged commodity price and dissolution of economic gaps. President Takagi of Rengo emphasizes the basic stance: ‘the labor will defend employment and win a wage increase at the same time. A preferential order is absent.’ Each industry sector makes a higher wage demand, responding to the Rengo’s policy: Federation of Electrical Machine Workers’ Union puts an increase by 4,500 Yen (higher than that of previous year by 2,500 Yen), General Federation of Private Railway & Bus Workers Union, 7,000 Yen (higher by 3,500 Yen), and Japan Association of Metal, Machinery and Manufacturing Workers, 4,500 Yen (by 2,000 Yen). The unions are braver than last year, submitting higher rates. Meanwhile, the Japan Business Federation (=Nippon Keidanren) released on December 16 a report compiled by the Policy Committee for Management and Labor. According to it, the Keidanren has changed its stance on employment: initially it had stressed on ‘stable employment’ as the first priority. But the federation retreats, mentioning that ‘it works to ensure stable employment’. As for a wage increase, the paper says ‘many corporations see it hard to increase wages’, rejecting the previous statement in favor of a hike. The report is to reduce the total labor costs as it prefers enhancing international competitiveness. The Keidanren shows its natural attitude that it is not in favor of either stable employment or a wage hike. Firm Determination is Necessary The neo-liberal economic policies have bankrupted. The financial elite’s package of deregulation and market fundamentalism must be corrected. Along with the parliamentary debates in the Diet on restricting the labor dispatch practice, trade unions have tasks to fight during the Spring Offensive 09. Their role is vital. In the worldwide economic crisis big exporters-manufacturers make a big cut of workforce, which affects on sub-contractors, or workers of small-medium-sized factories. During the spring campaigns solidarity must be established with unorganized workers of smaller firms, relationships among unions must be strengthened on the local basis, union leadership must be reinforced, workers’ struggles must be integrated to political objectives and workers must keep firm determination to go strike in order to win demands.