On July 15, at the 26th Central Executive Committee Meeting RENGO endorsed activities to realize demands to compile a supplementary budget to break the employment/living standard crisis, revise the Industrial Revitalization Bill, and oppose retrogressive revision of the Pension System.

Demanding the Revision of the Industrial Revitalization Bill and the Enactment of the "Worker Protection Against Changes in Business Organization Law"

The "Industrial Revitalization Bill" the Government is planning to submit to the Diet, seeks to promote the transfer, disposal, or merger of businesses and their assets and revitalize industry. However, there is a substantial risk of personnel being downsized too easily.
RENGO demands the revision of the "Industrial Revitalization Bill" and enactment of the "Worker Protection Against Changes in Business Organization Law" (tentative) to create and stabilize employment.

(1)	We demand revision of the following items in the "Industrial Revitalization Bill" submitted by the Government.
	1.	Specify "secure employment stability" at the objective items in the law.
	2.	When making and implementing plans, prior consultation between management and labor unions (or worker representatives if there are no unions) and the labor/management agreement on employment/labor conditions should be the basis for their approval and implementation.
	3.	The Government will always seek planning enforcement reports from authorized businesses.
	4.	Clearly prescribe management responsibilities and stockholders' responsibilities for "debts settled with stock shares."
	5.	Secure equality and fairness in contracts when transferring business facilities to employees through MBO (Management Buy Out).

(2)	Enact the "Worker Protection Against Division/Transfer/Mergers in Business Law" (tentative) and guarantee the following employment contracts and labor conditions under those circumstances.
	1.	Employment contracts or labor contracts will remain effective despite business divisions/transfers/mergers, etc.
	2.	Dismissal is prohibited due to business divisions/transfers/mergers, etc.
	3.	Worker representatives and labor agreements are maintained during business divisions/transfers/mergers, etc.
	4.	Define conduct for the providing of information and labor/management consultations between workers and unions in advance of any organizational structure changes.

Anti-Pension System Revision Activities and Demands for its Reformation

RENGO advances its activities to correspond with the Government's submission of the Pension System Revision Bill to the Diet, and the deliberations at the on-going expanded Diet. RENGO opposes retrogressive revision of the system that puts provision restraints at the center of its policies.
The following are RENGO's four demands: (1) Maintain the future provision level, (2) Maintain the income indexation system, (3) Link between employment and pensions, (4) Increase government liability for standard pensions to one half effective immediately.

Specific Activities to Break Employment/Living Standard Crisis

 

(1)	Action directed toward Government, Ministries, and Agencies
	1.	We will present RENGO's actions to the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Finance Ministry, Labor Ministry and others to make them aware of our demands beginning in early July and lasting throughout the month. Those demands are (a) Implementation of emergency employment measures and the compilation of a supplementary budget (b) Budgetary requests to the Government and other ministries for the 2000 fiscal year.
	2.	We will hold a "Government-Labor-Management Employment Promotion Council" without delay and demand the creation and enforcement of more than a million-job creation plan.

(2)	Actions Regarding Political Parties
	1.	We will request that each political party work for the compilation of a supplementary budget as per the "Breaking Employment/Living Standard Crisis," the revision of the Industrial Revitalization Bill, the enactment of the Worker Protection Law (tentative), and the opposition of retroactive revisions of the Pension System.
	2.	RENGO especially stresses creating liaisons with the Democratic Party of Japan's Emergency Employment Promotion Headquarters and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Work Group in order to gain understanding and cooperation with RENGO demands. At the same time, RENGO asks that the Democratic Party of Japan work to make a plan for the creation of jobs, revise the Industrial Revitalization Bill, realize the Worker Protection Law (tentative) and oppose any retroactive revision of the Pension System.

(3)

Actions by RENGO

Actions taken by RENGO Headquarters, Local RENGO, and Constituent Organizations a) Implement a "National Street Campaign to Break the Employment/Living Standard Crisis" nationwide in liaison with each other. Headquarters will hold a "General Drive" on current actions on July 21 and local RENGO will follow suit by the end of July. b) RENGO Headquarters will develop new job placement information by early this fall and study the possibility of a union placement business working in concert with constituent organizations.

(4)	Create "Break the Employment/Living Standard Crisis Struggle Headquarters"
	So that RENGO as a whole may carry on the various activities stated above, it will establish the "Break the Employment/Living Standard Crisis Struggle Headquarters" on July 15 during "the 26th Central Executive Committee Meeting."