RENGO convened its 34th Central Committee Meeting at a hotel in Tokyo on 17 November. In his speech, President Washio cited business after business that announced financial success saying "this is profit recovery by reducing costs through downsizing." He went on to add, "profits gained by businesses must be distributed to the workers properly."
He returned to the main topic of the meeting regarding the principles of the Spring Struggle saying that "restoring personal consumption through stabilizing the standard of living and drastically reforming social security to resolve anxieties over the future are crucial. The role of the Spring Struggle is, in that sense, also very significant." He said that concrete characteristics of the Spring Struggle Principle include emphasizing minimum target goals for individual wages and demanding wage hikes for unorganized part-time workers. Regarding Spring Struggle reform, he stressed "there is no miraculous way toward reform. We must try to work on it persistently and honestly."

President Washio strongly criticized the government's relationship with RENGO saying, "the global trend is for labor unions to be in dialogue with and join in the decision-making process. Yet the government continues to refuse to hold discussions with RENGO, which is profoundly regrettable. Furthermore, he declared his determination adding, "if the government continues to refuse any longer, we should force discussions with direct actions like those at the WTO general conference in Seattle, even if it goes against RENGO's concept of democratic labor actions."

In closing, President Washio touched upon the current political situation saying, "if it ends with an internal power struggle within the LDP, we would criticize its very make up. If the LDP were to split and there emerged the possibility of coalition government, we would carefully monitor that." Showing his preparedness to bring down the LDP's one-party rule he stated, "if the Diet is dissolved and a general election is held, we are determined to face it without fear, without flinching."

After President Washio's speech, the Central Committee Meeting endorsed the installation of new executive members, the distribution of awards, the 2001 Spring Struggle: Struggle Policy, and the revision of the Priority ILO Conventions for Ratification.
Finally, the meeting adjourned after adopting the following appeal that was met with unanimous applause, "fortify the negotiating power of the affiliates and unit unions and hew out a perspective for a bright and promising 21st century."