RENGO endorsed its 1999 Spring Struggle 5th Emergency Plan at the 5th Central Struggle Committee Meeting held on April 15.

The Situation on Responses Currently Announced

The following is a tentative summary of wage increases as of April 12.

(1) Wage Increase (Summary of Responses)

The following is a summary other than wage increases as of April 5. RENGO has begun showing its plan on the issues of bonus this year, and there is an increase in the number of unions that respond to bonus demands on a blanket annual agreement at the same time of wage revisions. Specifically, the increase amounts to approximately 500,000 union workers. However, the bonus level is only 0.35 months, or about ¥ 100,000, down from last year.

(2) Bonus (Weighted average)

(3) Raising starting salary (simple average)

(4) Raising the minimum wage for 18 year old workers (simple average)

Furthermore, as of April 8, the 2nd Local Unions Wage Increase Summary, (744, 932 workers in 1,373 unions) summarized by the Small to Mid-sized Joint Struggle Center for local RENGO is ¥ 5,389 (2.04%), the weighted average is ¥ 1,368, down from last year.

Working to Promote Settlements in the Private Sector and Expand Wage Scale Standards

(1) Try to withdraw responses based on the following three points which were endorsed at the 9th Expanded Tactical Committee Meeting.

1. Generally, "Regular Pay Raise (%)+ Alpha (¥)" will be the common minimum standard. RENGO's average rate corresponding to the regular increase is 2%, but it will be judged by the feasibility of condition at constituent organizations.
2. Taking into consideration the level of wage increases and the basic wages of small to mid-sized unions, the compromised standard should be "over ¥ 5,500 or at least 2.1%" to improve the level of responses by small to mid-sized union in future struggles.
3. While seeking to raise the minimum wage through increasing wage levels, RENGO is also negotiating for pay hikes of more than ¥ 250,000 monthly as an Average Wage Levels Distributed by Industry for an average 35 year old worker (skilled manual laborer, high school graduate, employed 17 years at the same company).

(2) Local RENGO will promote wage hike settlement based on the endorsed items listed above. Local RENGO also will strengthen the local joint struggle and help unsettled unions incorporate with local constituent organizations and local unions into a single body. This includes raising the minimum wage through setting higher "regional minimum wages."
(3) With May Day as a starting point, RENGO will work on expanding wage scale standards for organized workers on to other workers. Also RENGO will seek deliberation for the revision of the legal minimum wage to raise the wages of part-time and small to mid-sized business employees. RENGO will propose its principle for the revision of the legal minimum wage at the Central Struggle Committee Meeting scheduled on May 20, based on the results of the organized workers' struggle summarized up through the middle of May.

Efforts for the Public Sector

RENGO will take a mediation petition to the Central Labor Relations Commission aiming for a settlement for the public sector, and at the same time strengthen relations with mediators on the labor side. Further, RENGO will concentrate its effort and actions for recommendation by the National Personnel Authority on behalf of white-collar workers.