- The 151st ordinary Diet session finished the term for 150 days,
and closed today. The Educational System Reform Bill, the revision
Bill of the Shortening Working Hours Promotion Measures Law, the Emergency
Economic Policy Measures related Bill, etc. are approved, and a Personal
Data Processing Protection bill, a bill on give the franchise to a
permanent-residence foreigner in a local election, etc. are shelved.
Measures to stabilize economy and employment rather than anything
are now demanded in a situation where business does not recover, and
the situation of employment is not improved with a high unemployment
rate. However, the government and the Liberal Democratic Party compose
the budget of vertical division as in the past and but form the budget
by the power of a number even without deliberation on a proposal the
budget recombination made by the opposition parties. Investigation
into the truth of the KSD corruption case and the diplomatic secret
fund scandal is also inadequate. The voice of the people to call for
the stability in life and employment and to impeach the corruption
of politics and the governments has not been responded.
- RENGO has asked for a budget which incorporated policy measures for stable employment and the life with the emphasize on the adoption of a Supporting for Coping with both Work and Family bill, a Individual Labour-Management Dispute Settlement bill, a Enterprise Pension basic bill, etc. Starting with "action of anger in front of the National Diet" of the opening day, RENGO has carried out hearing of and appealing to committees, rallies, symposium, etc. with the participation of many of its affiliates. Local RENGOs have also appealed in the street and collected many signatures.
However, while the Fixed-contribution Pension Bill is passed, an Enterprise Pension basic bill is not approved. Moreover, both the government bill and the Democratic Party bill on child and other family members care leaves is carried over to the next session due to insufficient time left for the discussion. And RENGO is successful in amending partly the government bill on individual labour-management dispute settlement thanks to the cooperation of the Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties.
- In April, the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election was
carried out and the Koizumi Cabinet replaced the Mori Cabinet. Although
the Koizumi Cabinet attracts national concern, the nature of the 3-parties
coalition government has not changed at all. The government-labor
meeting, which a dialog with working people, has not yet realized
due to strong objection by the governing parties, and is not yet realized.
Basic principles announced by the Economic/Financial Advisory Council
emphasize only a free market philosophy, and, on the other hand, forces
the people a pain. In order to overcome the stagnant business and
a rise of the sense of insecurity about life, measures in which people
can have sense of security to a life or the future is indispensable.
It is necessary to realize now drastic strengthening of occupational
training which has not been realized in this Diet session, a measure
of employment opportunity creation, reconstruction of the social security
system depended for supporting each other, and implementation of measures
connected with personal consumption expansion.
- RENGO will strengthen an extensive measure from the inside and outside of the National Diet in the forthcoming extraordinary Diet session of autumn, aiming at realization of these measures. At the same time, we should strengthen our effort to send as many representatives as possible to the Diet who understand the uneasiness of workers and make effort to solve it.
The 19th Upper House election is getting close. RENGO appeals to discern the essence of the present political power and to vote for a candidate to whom we can entrust the stability and improvement of life. RENGO will struggle to have all RENGO-recommended candidate elected, with the full use of its 8 million members.
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