Action Policies 2008-2009

ACTION POLICY 6
Strengthening International Activities for a Fairer Globalization


Promoting Core Labor Standards and Decent Work

1. To deal with the negative aspects of globalization, RENGO will promote decent work as recommended by the ILO. RENGO will participate in establishing a Decent Work Country Programme and a “national plan of action on decent work,” and will work with the Global Unions to promote activities for realizing decent work.

2. RENGO will urge the government to ratify, at the earliest possible date, two core ILO conventions: the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (No.111) and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105). Both are among the eight fundamental ILO conventions. RENGO will also push for full implementation of the six conventions already ratified. Moreover, RENGO will redouble its efforts for the ratification of “conventions designated by RENGO as priority instruments,” including the Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) Convention (No.94). RENGO will continue to strive to realize reform of the civil service system in accordance with the recommendations of the Freedom of Association Committee.

3. Concerning the frameworks of ASEAN+3 (Japan, China and South Korea), bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), RENGO will urge the ministries and agencies concerned to ensure that these frameworks not only guarantee the core labor standards for workers in the countries involved, but also contribute to sustainable economic development, the improvement of people’s lives and employment, environmental protection, and the improvement of safety and health. RENGO will also cooperate with trade unions in the countries concerned for these purposes.


Strengthening Policy Recommendations to Intergovernmental Meetings and International Organizations

4. To encourage the international community to take action addressing the negative effects of globalization, it is crucial to incorporate the demands of the international trade union movement into the agendas and conclusions of the G8 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Conference and the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held in Japan in 2008. To this end, RENGO will strengthen partnerships with the parties concerned to organically link the Global Union’s policies with national policies.

5. RENGO will promote the policy recommendation to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) through the Global Unions, including the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Trade Union Advisory Committee to OECD (OECD-TUAC).


Measures to Address the Issue of Multinational Enterprises

6. RENGO will urge the OECD and national contact point in Japan to enhance the application of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to promote the early and appropriate settlement of disputes. In addition, to prevent or quickly resolve disputes in overseas establishments of Japanese corporations, RENGO will call on the government to set up a “multinational enterprise issues liaison meeting” (provisional title) with a tripartite structure.

7. RENGO will hold a workshop in Japan for national centers in G8 countries to help enhance the application of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and make them more widely known to the public.

8. RENGO will hold a bilateral seminar on multinational enterprises with the aim to build sound labor-management relations at Japanese multinational corporations in Asia and to expand the use of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.


Promoting the Global Movement under the New Trade Union Organization

9. RENGO will be work actively to address the negative aspects of globalization, as promoted by ITUC and the ITUC Asia-Pacific Regional Organization (ITUC-AP). In particular, RENGO will implement ITUC’s “special action programme” in Japan, which aims to reform globalization, expand decent work, and eliminate child labor. RENGO will also hold an event on the International Action Day.

10. Trade unions worldwide are enhancing cooperation based on the establishment of the Global Union Council. RENGO will strengthen partnerships with Japanese organizations of the Global Union Federations (GUFs), which are international industrial federations. Specifically, RENGO will share information at the international committee and cooperate in addressing common issues, including the conclusion of a framework agreement between multinational enterprises and the GUF.


Development Cooperation toward the Eradication of Poverty

11. RENGO will endeavor to build a sustainable global society, including through efforts to eradicate world poverty. Specifically, RENGO will further vitalize the activities of the NGO-Trade Union Forum for International Collaboration with a view to achieving the MDGs, and also share information with affiliates to promote concrete activities, including fair trade. Moreover, RENGO will urge the government to improve the quality and quantity of ODA, and cooperate in development cooperation and education activities by the Japan International Labour Foundation (JILAF).


Protection and Establishment of Human and Trade Union Rights and Democracy

12. RENGO will actively participate in campaigns by the Global Unions, including ITUC, to promote human and trade union rights in each country. In the Asia-Pacific region in particular, RENGO will work with ITUC-AP and national centers to protect human and trade union rights in Asian countries. RENGO will also be involved in the ITUC Burma campaign and cooperate with organizations calling for the democratization of Burma.


Regular Consultations and Exchanges with Trade Unions Overseas

13. To realize a fairer globalization, RENGO will hold bilateral consultations to enhance partnerships on common issues, information sharing, and exchanging experiences. RENGO will consult separately with the TUC (U.K.), AFL-CIO (U.S.) and DGB (Germany) on global issues, including hedge funds and private equity funds. RENGO will also interact with trade unions in South Korea and China to secure working people’s rights and address common issues.