Photo: The enthusiastic atmosphere at Nihon Budokan

RENGO held the Central Rally for Declaring the Start of the Spring Struggle on February 15. Each year at this time, unions in Japan begin submitting their demands. 12,000 excited participants filled Nihon Budokan performing and displaying their commitment. The Spring Struggle will get under way with the beginning of negotiations after this rally.

Photo: The shouting match greatly entertained the audience

After the crowd warmed up by a match shouting their resolution to fight in the Spring Struggle, General Secretary Sasamori opened the rally with a speech. In the speech, he criticized management saying, "recently management has stated that they do not intend to increase either hiring or wages. Denying both is completely contrary to our demands, and the economy cannot recover." Further, he expressed his resolution that "this struggle will be judged by what we gain on our own."
RENGO President Washio made a speech including a report of the current situation. He began with pointing out the cause of the depression. "The Japanese economy is reaching the bottom of its depression. It's not because the workers were lazy, but because the government's mistaken policies created deflation and management did not fulfill its responsibilities." He continued asserting, "if the government adopts appropriate measures, then considering Japanese worker force, economic recovery is possible."
He advocated "large tax cuts and the establishment of a social security system that will assure one when one gets old."
Regarding the significance of this year's Spring Struggle, he emphasized that economic recovery would be feasible with a 3% wages hike and fixed annual pay increases. And he added that we must accomplish these demands on our own. We should, he urged, make this rally a starting point, be determined, get up and face down battle with confidence, then we can advance our demands as the consensus of the whole nation. On the issue of correcting differentials in wealth, he encouraged these efforts saying, "the gap has grown larger in recent years. We should reinforce the struggle to correct these differences." Washio concluded, "the Spring Struggle has been playing a big role in the development of the Japanese economy and fair income distribution. Those who want to 'end the Spring Struggle' are absurd. Resist and fight until we attain our demands."

After the President's speech, declarations of resolve continued from each group's representatives. The representatives included RENGO Vice President Katsutoshi Suzuki, representing the metal industry (and President of Japanese Electrical Electronic and Information Union); Executive RENGO member Shigeru Masuda, representing the food industry (President of Japan Federation of Foods and Tobacco Workers' Unions); RENGO Vice President Kazumaro Suzuki, representing the transportation industry (President of All Japan Federation of Transport Workers' Union); RENGO Vice President Yoshimi Morooka, representing Public Services, (Vice President of the All Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers' Union); and RENGO Vice President Mitsuro Hattori, representing the Small to Mid-sized Joint Struggle Center (President of Japanese Federation of metal Industry Workers' Union).
Representatives from each industry also lead various performances and displays of resolutions.
Participants started waves, shouted in unison, waved flags at on cue, some groups stood up shouting and raising their fists. Everyone used their whole body to express their feelings of standing up to the Struggle.
In the latter half of the rally, Vice President Enomoto's proposal was adopted declaring the start of the Struggle. The declaration stated "Working toward 'Reviving Japan with Pay Hikes, Employment and Economic Recovery!' now is the time for labor unions to take a stand. We must always remember and continue to fight for 1999 Spring Struggle."
President Washio led the assembly in final three cheers, bringing the close to a rally unlike any previous held before. Participants enjoyed an interactive rally of shouting and fists expressing their resolution to carry on fighting, fully realizing the difficulty of doing so and headed home with a feeling of fulfillment.