Action Policies 2008-2009

OVERVIEWS
Through Solidarity with All Working People, Let Us Build a Society in Which We Can Live and Work Together

1. The Social Situation in Which We Work and Live

(1) Expanding Disparities at the Global Level

The problem of disparities and polarization is becoming more serious at the global level. The United Nations Development Programme states, in the Human Development Report 2005, “The world’s richest 500 individuals have a combined income greater than that of the poorest 416 million. Beyond these extremes, the 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day 40% of the world’s population,” and raises an alarm over the problem of worldwide disparities. Information and money cross borders in real-time and the world macro-economy is growing increasingly rapidly as a result of the startling progress of information technology, while disparities in income, opportunities for education and employment, health, and average life expectancy continue to expand between countries. The international community is now divided by the North-South problem and by religious and ethnic problems. We face a severe situation due to conflicts and environmental destruction, which at the same time make it difficult to solve problems.

(2) A Recovery in Corporate Profits Based on Drastic Cost Cuts

In Japan, like in other countries, the rapid spread of market mechanisms has prompted companies to give priority to shareholders’ interests and international competitiveness, leading to significant changes in social conditions. Coupled with the government and ruling party’s deregulation policy that compels companies to drastically cut costs and strengthen international competitiveness, the Japanese economy has recovered in the past few years and many corporations have set record profits.

(3) An Economic Recovery That Does Not Seem Real, Expanding Disparities and Poverty

In the process of the deep economic slump and then recovery under the Koizumi and Abe cabinets’ market-oriented policies, income gaps are widening among employment patterns, industries, company sizes, and regions. In other words, a rapid polarization is underway. There has been an increase in the number of working poor, who work under bad working conditions and at low wages below the breadline, while regular workers are physically and mentally exhausted and the number of workers in poor mental health, as well as the number of deaths and suicides from overwork, is rapidly increasing. The work-life balance has been disrupted, and this may further lower the birthrate. Small and tiny companies, mainly contractors, have become bankrupt or closed operations one after another in the midst of severe competition to cut costs. This phenomenon has had serious effects on local economies.

(4) Growing Fear for and Uncertainty over Lives

The government has given high priority to market-oriented policies and fiscal reconstruction, resulting in increasing burdens and shrinking benefits. As taxes and social insurance premiums rise, distrust of the public social insurance system has intensified due to personnel shortages in the medical and care areas, unfair billings by care service providers, and “disappearing” pension records. Moreover, given the falling birthrate, measures for supporting childbirth and child-rearing by families and single mothers are inadequate, and there is growing concern for the welfare system as a whole.

(5) Moral Degeneration and the Deterioration of Japanese Society

The principle of self-responsibility is now emphasized, and values such as solidarity and coexistence are declining. In a society where people have no hope, painful incidents, such as suicides and crimes, become frequent, coupled with fears regarding employment and living. A trend toward management that pursues short-term profits and rising stock prices and has no sense of morality or shame has adversely affected the workplace. There seems to be no end to corporate misdoings, such as falsification of data and padding of figures. People’s confidence in politics and public administration has been significantly undermined by the repeated problems involving “politics and money,” inappropriate remarks and behavior by Cabinet members, scandals including bid-rigging at the initiative of the government officials, and poor response to large-scale natural disasters. There is concern now that the value of “labor,” which constitutes the basis for social development and prosperity, is disregarded, tainted by the worship of money. Japanese society is rapidly deteriorating. The “negative aspects” of globalization are undermining this country and threatening our lives.


2. Circumstances Surrounding the RENGO Movement—Looking Back on Activities during the Past Two Years

(1) Activities Focusing on Small Business and Non-regular Workers and Local Communities

Following the regular Convention in October 2003, RENGO has incorporated the Final Report of the RENGO Assessment Committee (submitted in September 2003) into its action policy. During the past two years, RENGO has carried out activities for redressing disparities, particularly for smaller business and non-regular workers, with the aim to establish a visible movement rooted in local communities. During the last year, RENGO set up 106 model Local Councils nationwide, launched one-stop services for working and living, conducted a “Stop Social Disparities” campaign, and acted in a unified way to realize RENGO’s policy proposals, advancing the Spring Struggle for a Better Life, and expanding the organization.

(2) Organizational Expansion, Demands for Proper Policies and Institutions, and the Spring Struggle for a Better Life

RENGO’s efforts under “Organizing Unions: the Third Action Plan 21” led to a net increase of 170,000 non-regular members (including part-timers).The total  membership as the Third Action Plan has increased by 363,000.

RENGO, together with affiliates and Local RENGOs, opposes the introduction of a “white-collar exemption” system and was able, with public support, to force the government to give up on submitting the bill. The revised Part-Time Labour Law prohibits discriminatory treatment, though the revision is still inadequate because its targets are very limited. It was decided that the minimum wage should be determined at the Central Minimum Wages Council in line with the agreement of the round-table meeting by government, but the wage level was not sufficient to raise the living standard. Regarding tax increases for salaried workers, RENGO adopted a new approach called a “think-tax.jp” project, using the Internet.

The Spring Struggle for a Better Life has also produced positive results. Thanks to collaboration with the joint struggle on smaller unions among affiliates, wage increases over the previous year have been secured for four consecutive years. The second year of collaboration with the joint struggle on smaller unions among affiliates s demanded an “hourly wage of \1,000” and aroused public opinion.

(3) Decline in the Unionization Rate, and Calling into Question the Importance of Trade Unions

RENGO has made efforts to expand its areas of activity and review approaches under the slogan of “changing RENGO to change society.　Trade Unions to Change, Society to Change” With a rapid increase in non-regular workers, however, efforts to expand and strengthen the organization have met with varied success among affiliates. Only 60.5% of the goal was attained, and the unionization rate dropped to 18.2%.

The influence of trade unions as a counterpart in individual labor-management relations has also declined in the increasingly severe management environment, characterized by a diversification of union members’ attitudes and a low percentage of union members. Trade Unions must seriously reflect on the fact that trade unions have not been able to fully perform the function of monitoring management in the event of scandals.

(4) Mounting Expectations for Trade Unions

RENGO’s policies on labor, taxation and social security have become increasingly difficult to attain as the Koizumi and Abe Cabinets have pushed deregulation and fiscal reconstruction. Though the Spring Struggle for a Better Life has attained some results over the past two years, our response to the attitude of the business world and ruling party, which pursue international competitiveness, has not been sufficient. Our efforts to improve labor’s share and to redress disparities have not yet borne fruits.

In the last Upper House election, however, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) significantly increased its seats by advocating “putting people’s lives first.” Expectations for the original social role of the trade union movement, including realizing policies for working people, are mounting. RENGO must make a determined effort to reform itself and rebuild the trade union movement.


3. Focal Points of Activities for the Next Two Years

Focal Points of Future Activities
Over the next two years, RENGO will adopt the following three focal points for its campaigns:

(a) 

RENGO will give top priority to strengthening support for and collaboration with non-regular workers and employees at smaller companies, and will work with affiliates and Local RENGOs to reform working patterns with a view to guaranteeing the rights of all workers and improving their working conditions.
(b) RENGO, affiliates and enterprise-based unions, which have their own roles to play, will make clear their intent to resolutely resist unreasonable factors of society, and demand social responsibility from companies and employers’ associations, and for politics and public administration to play their proper role.
(c) RENGO will launch full-fledged efforts to further promote “visible campaigns rooted in local communities,” which can contribute to vitalizing communities and building a trade union movement trusted by local people.

(1) Response to “Easy-to-Use Labor”

The replacement of regular workers with non-regular workers, which companies are carrying out to hold down aggregate personnel expenditure, is polarizing Japanese society and segmenting workers. At present, the government is trying to push for a further deregulation policy called Labor Big Bang. RENGO must make full-fledged efforts to resist the demand for “easy-to-use labor” which has contributed to the improvement of corporate competitiveness and profits.

(2) Solidarity of All Working People—Toward a Movement That Can Win the Sympathy of Union Members

RENGO placed importance on the problem of non-regular employment, but these activities have not necessarily been shared by trade unions. Very few non-regular workers and employees at smaller firms are organized. It is necessary to question whether trade unions are reliable partners for the workers who desperately need them. Some argue that RENGO, which is composed mainly of regular workers at large enterprises and public employees, is no longer an organization that represents labor. It is an urgent task for RENGO to rebuild a movement that also encompasses employees at smaller businesses and non-regular workers. To this end, RENGO must perceive both regular and non-regular workers as being on the same footing, and make further efforts to ensure that the significance, objectives and practice of solidarity are shared among affiliates and enterprise-based unions and to forge a movement that can win union members’ “sympathy.”

(3) Reform of Working Patterns, and Creation of a Work-Centered Welfare Society*

The problem of disparities and polarization are not problems for only some workers. The negative effects of unfair and irrational labor practices will reach all workers. A society in which companies grow at the expense of workers and which makes light of “labor” as a basis for social development and prosperity cannot be a sound society. RENGO will strive to reform working patterns to realize a work-life balance so that all people can feel comfort and affluence, and will seek to improve labor’s share and establish fair work rules. In other words, RENGO’s top priority as a national center is to pave the way for a “work-centered welfare society.”

*The work-centered welfare society is a society that guarantees employment for everyone. It has a fully developed network of social standards for fair wages, working hours and equal treatment. It includes a safety net that guarantees livelihood in the event of work-related accidents, unemployment and sickness, or in old age. It provides men and women with an opportunity to participate actively as equal members of society, allowing them to assume their joint responsibilities.


4. Goals and Major Activities

【Goal 1】
To expand and strengthen the RENGO organization to allow it to better play its expected role, and to create a network for the solidarity of all workers, regardless of employment patterns.

To this end,
(a) 

RENGO will establish a department of non-regular employment in RENGO office (provisional title) to support and collaborate with non-regular workers. An assistance system using the Internet will also be provided as a means to expand networks with non-regular workers.
(b) To promote visible campaigns rooted in local communities, model Local Councils will take the initiative to improve one-stop services, including labor consultation.
(c) Affiliates and enterprise-based unions will further encourage non- regular workers in subsidiary companies to join unions. To curb the “hollowing-out” of trade unions, based on increases of unorganized workers within the company, and enterprised based unions will conduct inspections and surveys, and review the scope of union members.
(d) To revitalize and activate the labor movement, RENGO will strengthen the organization by enhancing labor education, developing human resources for the future, raising the feeling of participation and expanding opportunities for the participation of workers, particularly young people. RENGO will also continue discussions with affiliates and Local RENGOs to redefine the roles of RENGO, affiliates, enterprise-based unions, Local RENGOs and Local Councils.

【Goal 2】
To reform working patterns to improve working conditions for all working people, realize a work-life balance, achieve gender equality at the workplace, and establish decent work.

To this end, RENGO will:
(a) 

Seek to revise the Minimum Wage Law to raise the minimum wage to Eurpean and North American levels, taking into consideration the policy of the round-table meeting by the government for promoting productivity.
(b) Work to realize equal treatment for workers, establish work rules, and review work-hour legislation.
(c) Endeavor to achieve a prohibition of all forms of discrimination between men and women at the workplace and to realize gender equality in employment.
(d) Strengthen measures for supporting the employment of young people, senior citizens and the disabled.
(e) Work with affiliates and enterprise-based unions to reform working patterns, monitor business activities in terms of unpaid overwork, illegal dispatching of workers, disguised contracting, and unfair deals, and encourage companies to act based on social fairness. Such efforts should include inspections and surveys, labor-management consultations, and offers to employers’ associations.
(f) Make full-scale efforts during the Spring Struggle for a Better Life to continue to improve labor’s share, working conditions for non-regular and small business workers, and the premium rate for overtime, in collaboration with the joint struggle on part time workers smaller unions among affiliates.

【Goal 3】
To realize a fair and equal society, and rebuild social nets for safety and trust through a linkage of employment policies and social security.

To this end, RENGO will:
(a) 

Work to prohibit all forms of discrimination based on sex, disability and others and to realize a fair and equal society where the human rights of all individuals are guaranteed.
(b) Strengthen efforts toward the government, political parties and the general public to prevent tax hikes for salaried workers, enhance the income redistribution function of taxes, and achieve a fair and transparent tax reform.
(c) Work to strengthen social safety nets, including the establishment of an “employment and livelihood support system” in linkage with employment policies, and take more effective measures for poverty eradication.
(d) Work for the improvement of medical, care and welfare services, pension programs and support for child rearing.
(e) Endeavor to achieve better security measures for housing, food, and other aspects of people’s lives.

【Goal 4】
To pursue social justice through the international trade union movement and address the negative effects of globalization, including deteriorated employment, expanding gaps between the rich and poor, and the worsening global environment.

To this end, RENGO will:
(a) 

Strengthen efforts to establish decent work and eradicate world poverty through partnerships with the ILO and the Global Unions, including ITUC and OECD-TUAC.
(b) Strengthen efforts to prevent global warming through international labor movement. Domestically, work to achieve the reduction targets of the Kyoto Protocol, which will begin in 2008.
(c) Consider how to regulate private equity and hedge funds to contribute to social justice at the global level, and make continued efforts to address the multinational enterprise problem, including strengthening the national contact point’s function toward the effective application of the OECD Guidelines.
(d) Work to make the Labour Summit to be held in Japan successful, and enhance policy recommendation toward intergovernmental meetings and international organizations.

【Goal 5】
To establish a “political system that enables regime change” so that people who work diligently are properly rewarded.

To this end, RENGO will:
(a) 

Further encourage the Democratic Party of Japan to implement the policy agreement it formulated with RENGO before the Upper House election.
(b) Positively promote activities for gaining the support of political parties and raising public awareness, including mass actions.
(c) Strive to strengthen political activities at the local level toward the next general election.