Checkoff Ban is an Outrageous Denial of
Fundamental Labor Rights
March 30, 2000

We can never allow the banning of checkoffs, which deny us the right of organization, and it is outrageous to baldly intervene politically on the autonomy of labor-management.

1. Banning checkoffs is a violation of labor-management autonomy and denies fundamental labor rights.
The system of union dues checkoff is conducted based on labor-management agreements and allowable under the constitution and the Labor Standard Law. To prohibit this system by legislation is plainly a violation of labor-management autonomy and denies fundamental labor rights. It is unacceptable under our constitutional system.

2. This is a detriment to healthy labor-management relations.
Japan's labor-management has bridged the era of postwar-chaos to see the modernization of management and the democratization of labor unions. We have built up healthy labor-management relations and based on those relations we have witnessed the development of business and industry as well as economic growth. The checkoff system is the foundation of this healthy labor-management relationship and can only be maintained on the basis of this relationship. Any measure to ban this system would result in unrest and destroy this healthy labor-management relationship.

3. The collection and allocation of union dues is decided democratically and announced publicly.
The amount, method of collection, and allocation of union dues are decided democratically by agreement or at conventions, and the decision is implemented. It is entirely natural for labor unions to use political activities to fulfill political demands and all financial information including expenditures for political activities, is audited by certified public accountants and open to every union member. Labor unions are autonomously managed based on the collective will of its members. We will never allow outside intervention from any political party, management, or any other power.

4. It contradicts payroll deductions such as income tax.
One's wage gets the check off deduction not only the union dues but also taxes. The LDP report says that checkoffs cause union members to lose their sense of burden resulting in the easy management of unions. And yet it has been shown that tax deductions are the breeding ground for political apathy.
Seen in this light, that sort of logic would also call for the abolishment of other deductions from our wages such as income taxes and social insurance premiums. The abolishment of tax deductions has been an issue ever since the Shoup Proposal,* and has now become a major priority as political apathy threatens the very foundations of democracy.

* Dr. C.S. Shoup (Columbia University) leader of a delegation to study the Japanese Tax System. In 1949, his delegation submitted a report proposing reform of the Japanese tax system to GHQ, which would later become the basis for Japan's postwar tax system.

5. It would invite international criticism by breaching ILO conventions.
The checking off of union dues set by labor agreement is a common practice internationally. The ILO Committee on the Freedom of Association stated that banning checkoffs by a national government is a violation of ILO Convention No.87, which guarantees the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize.
It is international common sense to leave checkoffs to the autonomy of labor unions and labor-management. If the LDP denies this, they will reveal not only their lightness in human rights issues, but also bring international criticism upon Japan.
The LDP's banning of checking off union dues is allegedly meant to control RENGO's actions in achieving its political goals and/or to prevent RENGO from working with any political parties other than the LDP—however this will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on our policies.
Banning the checking off of union dues is a critical issue that will impinge on fundamental labor rights and furthermore reaches to the very backbone of democracy. We do not for a moment believe that this is the LDP's consensus, but should a bill be submitted to the Diet, we will block its legislation by any means necessary. And if such a bill were to be enforced, we would utilize every possible countermeasure including changing over to a tax system where income tax is not automatically deducted.