| Government's responsibilities to the people: labour legislation and the 200 billion-yen tax reduction |
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As part of emergency actions to arouse the public opinion, Rengo organized a meeting for pushing forward its demands in the Kameido Park on 8 November. This meeting was aimed to arrange the first round of actions and to link it to the second round. As the time was getting ripe for the Rengo's demands, about 30,000 people were gathered from all over the country. On 11 November, Rengo visited government office, employers organizations and political parties to request its demands such as the review of labour legislation, the tax reduction of 200-billion yen and the recommendation of the National Personnel Authority. Three hundred members from Rengo's affiliate and local Rengo's joined this action. |
| Rengo has continued a series of various actions including sit-in in front of the Ministry of Labour, caravans, and stump speeches. At the meeting of 8 November signboards were flying as the symbol of these actions saying: "Realize labour laws expanding workers' rights and block the deregulation of labour standards," "Realize the 200-billion-yen tax reduction for economic revival," "Carry out the recommendation of the National Personnel Authority." President Washio, at the beginning, appealed that Rengo should get its demands known at all the workplaces, communities and homes by all means. General Secretary Sasamori concluded the report of the current situation by saying, "We should get angry when necessary." Representatives of the opposition parties expressed their determination that they would cooperate with Rengo in actualizing its appeal. |
| On 11 November Rengo took a large-scale action in which its teams visited with the appeals all the related ministries, employers' organizations and political parties. President Washio at the preparatory meeting stated: "Working people have now the feeling of a crisis. We request the regulation of overtime to be applied to both women and men. We feel responsible for all the groups of the people." General Secretary Sasamori continued: "Labour legislation greatly affects unorganized workers. We need to assume a case in which Diet members of all parties propose a bill." |
| Organizations the teams visited include: Ministries of Labour, Finance and Welfare, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations (Nikkeiren), Japan Chamber of Commerce, Central Federation of Medium and Small-sized Enterprise Associations, the LDP, New Frontier Party and the JSDP. Mr. Ito, Director-General of Labour Standards Bureau of the Ministry of Labour answered, "I fully agree with you," to the request made by Mr. Takagi, Rengo's Vice President, that the Ministry should avoid settling the discussion of the Committee with a compromise between employers' and workers' members. General Secretary Sasamori asked Nikkeiren to pass on Rengo's appeal to the employers' members of the Committee, stressing that it was not unreasonable. And the LDP only gave a cold answer to Rengo's request for the tax reduction by saying that nothing came out of the sack but what was in it. |
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