RENGO-NIKKEIREN Meeting
Declaration Promoting "Social Consensus on Employment"
 Included Labor/Management's Effort
(19 October 2001)
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Photo: Opinions were primarily exchanged on job measures (October 18, Tokyo.)

Amidst a sluggish economy and deteriorating job conditions, RENGO and NIKKEIREN (Japan Federation of Employers' Associations) held their regular meeting at a Tokyo hotel on the morning of October 18. Each side vigorously exchanged opinions on major policy issues regarding employment problems, medical system reform and regulatory reform. By the end of the meeting, RENGO and NIKKEIREN, held a common understanding that employment measures were pressing issues, disclosed the "Declaration Promoting <Social Consensus on Employment>"(noted elsewhere) which extended the October 1999 "Declaration of Employment Stabilization." The new declaration includes topics for both sides to work on including "maintaining and creating jobs and checking unemployment" for management, and "cooperating to strengthen management bases such as improving productivity" for labor.
RENGO and NIKKEIREN endorsed promoting these points in the declaration at individual labor/management activities in the future. Both sides also confirmed that they will jointly work out the particulars to build a consensus for a detailed work-sharing plan, work together on a supplementary budget to be earmarked mainly for employment measures, and so forth.

President Sasamori voiced his opinion at the meeting for the first time under the new RENGO administration. He said, "(RENGO) endorsed its Action Policies at RENGO's regular biennial convention. These Action Policies aimed at achieving policies fruitful to every citizen, as well as for the good, fortification and expansion of the organizations. The <New RENGO> in these Action Policies carries with it our conviction to leave behind the vestiges of 20th century and develop a new movement." Expressing his will he continued, "although circumstances are tough, we are eager to do our task." In addition, President Sasamori referred to the following political issues and appealed for immediate responses: (1) reorganization of the economy (2) solving employment problems (3) medical system reform (4) ratification of ILO Convention 144.
NIKKEIREN Chairman Okuda emphasized that "economic and job conditions are exceedingly severe worldwide. We should maintain a relationship of mutual trust for the future and solve our problems together with labor/management. We will do our utmost to see that dismissals are not easily made."

Both organizations responded to the speeches from the chairmen of both organizations by raising various issues. RENGO General Secretary Kusano touched on problems including the supplementary budget, regulatory reform, and medical system reform, and requested that management cooperate with labor on common issues. Assistant General Secretary Hayashi asked for understanding and cooperation in promoting career and home balance assistance. NIKKEIREN Director-General Fukuoka explained their request to the government of 1 trillion yen in temporary emergency employment measures for three years until jobs can be created through structural reform.

During the opinion exchange period, RENGO appealed for the importance of "introducing fair labor standards" and "education for high skills" to rehabilitate the manufacturing industry, and "hiring new grads" looking ahead to the future. NIKKEIREN offered views from the finance, IT, education, and construction fields. NIKKEIREN especially focused on employment, as did RENGO, stating that "it is necessary to take firm measures. (NIKKEIREN) will devote every effort to save employment," affirming that employment problems are the most pressing issues for both labor and management.

The attendees included President Sasamori, ten Vice Presidents, General Secretary Kusano and others from RENGO, Chairman Okuda, seven Vice Chairmen, Director-General Fukuoka and others from NIKKEIREN.

NIKKEIREN-RENGO Declaration Promoting
“Social Consensus on Employment”

In October 1999, NIKKEIREN and RENGO endorsed their “Declaration of Employment Stabilization” so that both labor and management would devote their full effort to breaking down the severe job conditions and that each would discharge their social duties to stabilize and create employment.


However amidst a long period of stagnation in the Japanese economy, it is feared that the domestic job situation will grow even more difficult in the future, due to structural reform including the disposal of bad loans that will materialize hereafter. In addition, the chance of a simultaneous slowdown in the global economy is increasing due to the recent terrorist attacks in the United States.

To break this situation, NIKKEIREN and RENGO extended the 1999 declaration even further, agreeing to concentrate every possible effort into the issues below. At the same time NIKKEIREN and RENGO request that the government back up its measures more and promote a “social consensus on employment” by government, labor, and management.

1. Promotion of Social Consensus to Maintain and Create Employment

In order to break the current worsening employment situation, NIKKEIREN and RENGO agreed to pool all their collective energies on the following issues and encourage support for issues from each company’s labor and management.

(1) On urgent measures,1) management should maintain and create jobs and restrain unemployment, 2) labor should cooperate to strengthen management bases by improving productivity and reducing costs, etc. At the same time, labor should respond flexibly to the wage raise issue.

(2) To maintain and create employment, NIKKEIREN and RENGO will work to build a consensus for various ways of working and work sharing. Labor and management will conduct activities to appropriately allocate jobs, wages, and working hours.

(3) Labor and management will work for proper evaluation and fair treatment based on work, improvement of job ability, appropriation of working hour management, and the betterment of working methods, etc.

2. Demands for the Government and Promotion of Social Consensus Building by Government-Labor-Management

It is crucial to have close cooperation among government, labor, and management when forming and implementing job measures. NIKKEIREN and RENGO will request that government further expand general employment measures which were decided earlier. In addition, support the materialization of labor and management agreements, and conduct the following to maintain and create employment.

(1) On urgent measures, further enrich safety nets for employment through a general-account budget.

(2) Review how training is conducted and enrich the function of placement organs so that placement will appropriately mesh with reemployment.

(3) Through promoting tax system and regulation reforms, support the fostering of new projects in the fields of housing, information and communication, environment, welfare/medical care, and make new job opportunities. Also, support local labor-management and government-labor-management activities for job creation plans.

(4) To expand alternative ways of working swiftly review the tax and social security systems, while at the same time working to prepare for it.

To achieve these activities, promote the building of social consensus by government-labor-management through utilizing opportunities such as the Employment Promotion Council of Government-Labor-Management and others. NIKKEIREN and RENGO will also establish a forum for studying the materialization of these measures.

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