The Labor Offensive 2021 has begun. Chairman Nakanishi Hiroaki of the Japan Business Federation explained his idea in the meeting of the Labor-Management Forum, saying that ‘an across-the-board wage-hike was unrealistic, while President Kozu Rikio of the Rengo, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, criticized the federation’s leader, mentioning that ‘his statement did not exhibit aspiration to overcome crises that Japan entails.
LABOR OFFENSIVE SHOULD MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH TO ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION
Coronavirus disaster as an excuse
The Federation issued January 19 a guideline paper to cope with the regular labor campaign waged early spring, the 2021 Management-Labor Commission Report. It confirms ‘rejection of an across-the-board increase in wages’ and ‘an independent, voluntary working style based on job’s outcomes and achievements’, which reflect a policy of the capitalist side. Employers want to process these tasks more speedily and extensively.
Referring to a flexible working practice, the report overtly urges to expand areas to which the discretionary working practice applies and stresses a telecommuting habit, worsening on the other side the laws to protect workers’ rights.
In addition, the management paper evaluates the ‘curtailed minimum wage’, a result of the 2020 labor campaign, as ‘realistic judgment’, and insists definitely on curbing wage hikes, saying that ‘not only the minimum wage, but salaries in general should be set properly in accordance with respective companies’ ability to pay, disregarding the government’s recommendation to increase them’.
Social responsibilities of business entities
Even amid the pandemic big businesses steadily accumulates their internal reserves, which reach in total 459 trillion Yen. It is high time that these earnings be spent on improving lives of the working population who fight against hardships coming from the pandemic; to surge wages and to solve unemployment to bring better employment. The Report, however, plainly says the management should be ready for ‘investment efforts for a stage emerging after the pandemic.
An enormous sum of the retention is an outcome of a series of policies to favor big businesses: to reduce corporate tax rates and to bestow them other special, favorable tools. Nevertheless, the management does not pay attention to make people’s lives better, but it makes its option to produce the maximum profits. This is the very nature of capitalists of the country.
Spring Labor Offensive for Rights
‘Pay Enough Wage to Sustain Life by 8-Hour Work a Day!’, ‘Eliminate Discrimination and Pay Equally for Equal Job’, and ‘Repel Dismissal and Wage Decrease Excusing Covid-19’; these are our demands.
In order to attain the goals we have steps: to ‘Pay \1,500 per hour to everybody and anywhere in the country!’, to ‘Pay 250 thousand Yen a month!’. We demand to hike wages to exceed ‘3 million Yen a year’, which is a sum necessary for a married young couple to support them. ‘Pay benefits to all workers equally without discrimination’, which is the aim of the on-going lawsuit concerning Article 20 of the labor code.
Lastly, ‘Save those over 80 thousand jobless workers, including 40 thousands of irregular workers!’.
We have to organize a variety of workers’ groups both on the local and central levels in order to realize the demands.
Let’s go forward in firm solidarity with workers! Let’s share with each other legacies won through the struggles for a big increase in the minimum wage and against deterioration of the labor laws.
コロナ禍を逆手に
経団連は１月１9日、経営側の２1春闘の指針「２1経労委報告」を発表した。２1報告は、「賃金の横並び引き上げの否定」「成果に基づく自律的な働き方、成果重視」の更なる徹底を総資本の意思として確認したものだ。
また、２1報告は柔軟な働き方と称し、コロナ禍を逆手に裁量労働制の対象拡大やテレワークの推進など、労働者保護法制の改悪を狙う姿勢を一層鮮明にする。
さらに２０年最賃が「据え置かれた」（中央最審）ことを「極めて現実的判断」と評価、「最賃に限らず、賃金引き上げは、政府の引き上げ方針ありきでなく、自社の支払い能力に応じ、適正に実施するもの」と賃上げを強くけん制している。
資本の社会的責任
コロナ禍でも大企業の内部留保は増え続けており、４５９兆円に達している。今こそ、内部留保を賃上げやコロナ禍で深刻な雇用・失業の危機に直面する労働者の生活改善に還元すべきだ。しかし、２1報告は「ポストコロナを見据えた将来への投資」のための資金と強弁する。
これまでの法人税引き下げや、各種の租税特別措置など大企業が恩恵を受けてきた結果としての膨大な内部留保だ。にもかかわらず、大企業の利益を最優先にし、労働者・国民の生活改善には見向きもしない。これが２1報告で示した日本の経営者の一貫した姿勢である。
けんり春闘の要求
２1けんり春闘実行委の「８時間働ければ生活できる賃金を！差別の根絶と全労働者に同一労働同一賃金を！コロナを口実にした解雇・賃下げを許すな！」は、私たちの要求でもある。
その実現の第一歩は、「どこでも誰でも時給１５００円、月額２５万円」で、「結婚の壁」と言われる「年収３００万円」を最賃の引き上げによって実現し、この間の20条裁判の到達点である各種手当を全労働者に差別なく支給させる。
そして、非正規4万人を含む8万人超の解雇者を救済させることである。
そのためには、中央・地域での労組・労働者の「要求実現」の共闘を準備しなければならない。この間の「最賃大幅値上げ」「労働法制改悪反対」などの共闘の経験を生かし、労働者の連帯を更に強めて前進しよう。
英訳版↓
No. 1198 Spring Labor Offensive 2021
The Labor Offensive 2021 has begun. Chairman Nakanishi Hiroaki of the Japan Business Federation explained his idea in the meeting of the Labor-Management Forum, saying that ‘an across-the-board wage-hike was unrealistic, while President Kozu Rikio of the Rengo, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, criticized the federation’s leader, mentioning that ‘his statement did not exhibit aspiration to overcome crises that Japan entails.
LABOR OFFENSIVE SHOULD MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH TO ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION
Coronavirus disaster as an excuse
The Federation issued January 19 a guideline paper to cope with the regular labor campaign waged early spring, the 2021 Management-Labor Commission Report. It confirms ‘rejection of an across-the-board increase in wages’ and ‘an independent, voluntary working style based on job’s outcomes and achievements’, which reflect a policy of the capitalist side. Employers want to process these tasks more speedily and extensively.
Referring to a flexible working practice, the report overtly urges to expand areas to which the discretionary working practice applies and stresses a telecommuting habit, worsening on the other side the laws to protect workers’ rights.
In addition, the management paper evaluates the ‘curtailed minimum wage’, a result of the 2020 labor campaign, as ‘realistic judgment’, and insists definitely on curbing wage hikes, saying that ‘not only the minimum wage, but salaries in general should be set properly in accordance with respective companies’ ability to pay, disregarding the government’s recommendation to increase them’.
Social responsibilities of business entities
Even amid the pandemic big businesses steadily accumulates their internal reserves, which reach in total 459 trillion Yen. It is high time that these earnings be spent on improving lives of the working population who fight against hardships coming from the pandemic; to surge wages and to solve unemployment to bring better employment. The Report, however, plainly says the management should be ready for ‘investment efforts for a stage emerging after the pandemic.
An enormous sum of the retention is an outcome of a series of policies to favor big businesses: to reduce corporate tax rates and to bestow them other special, favorable tools. Nevertheless, the management does not pay attention to make people’s lives better, but it makes its option to produce the maximum profits. This is the very nature of capitalists of the country.
Spring Labor Offensive for Rights
‘Pay Enough Wage to Sustain Life by 8-Hour Work a Day!’, ‘Eliminate Discrimination and Pay Equally for Equal Job’, and ‘Repel Dismissal and Wage Decrease Excusing Covid-19’; these are our demands.
In order to attain the goals we have steps: to ‘Pay \1,500 per hour to everybody and anywhere in the country!’, to ‘Pay 250 thousand Yen a month!’. We demand to hike wages to exceed ‘3 million Yen a year’, which is a sum necessary for a married young couple to support them. ‘Pay benefits to all workers equally without discrimination’, which is the aim of the on-going lawsuit concerning Article 20 of the labor code.
Lastly, ‘Save those over 80 thousand jobless workers, including 40 thousands of irregular workers!’.
We have to organize a variety of workers’ groups both on the local and central levels in order to realize the demands.
Let’s go forward in firm solidarity with workers! Let’s share with each other legacies won through the struggles for a big increase in the minimum wage and against deterioration of the labor laws.
February 16, 2021