RENGO held a panel discussion for the Spring Struggle of the year 2001 on 1 and 2 November in Tokyo and discussed the basic conception of the Spring Struggle. Seven hundred fifty participants from local and industrial structures of RENGO discussed the plan for the 2001 Spring Struggle and then proposed to the 34th session of the Central Committee scheduled on 17 November.

The basic plan regards the Spring Struggle should as tackling for the improvement of overall working conditions. It gives the priority to narrowing the disparity between large and small enterprises, spreading the result to small enterprises and unorganized sectors, the equal treatment of part-time workers.

RENGO aims at achieving 1800 total annual working hours in order to realize "affluence and richness." It has been continuously making an effort toward the total closing down on New Year's Day as part of the campaign for working hour reduction for last two years. RENGO confirms the policy of closing down at the 13th Central Executive Committee on 14 September that each individual should seriously think of the "convenience vs. affluence" debate to set-up the self-control over excessive corporate competition.

RENGO called on three major associations in the commercial industry, namely the Japan Department Store Association, the Japan Chain Store Association and the Japan Supermarket Association, to voluntarily refrain from opening on New Year's Day, on 30 September, 19 October and 31 October respectively.