| Answers for ¥530 Billion
Job Measures by Sup. Budget & Consideration at Next FY Budget Demands to Chief Cabinet Sec. Fukuda on FY2003 Budget at Govt.-Labor Meeting (20 December 2002) |
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| On December 16, RENGO visited the Prime Minister's
official residence to make requests on the 2003 Fiscal Year budget and attend
a meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda and other government officials.
Attendees on hand to exchange opinions included RENGO President Sasamori, Acting
President Sakakibara, Vice President Takagi, General Secretary Kusano, and Chief
Cabinet Secretary Fukuda; Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Sakaguchi; and Ministry
of Health, Labor and Welfare Director-General for Policy Planning and Evaluation
Aoki from the government side. At the meeting, RENGO drew a response from Chief
Cabinet Secretary Fukuda who said, "the government will conduct \530 billion
in job measures in the supplementary budget. Also in the 2003FY budget, special
government consideration and effort will be paid to those measures which were
based on the government, labor, and management agreement." In the early afternoon on the same day, General Secretary Kusano and other RENGO members visited the Ministry of Health, labor and Welfare to conduct a demand activity on Sakaguchi Minister for next year's budget.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda responded saying, "(the government will) conduct ¥530 billion in employment measures in the supplementary budget and earmark approximately \200 billion in government liability to employment insurance. Also in the 2003FY budget, special government consideration and effort will be paid to those measures which were based on the government, labor, and management agreement." The measures to be conducted include: [1] Allocation of full-time officers for early reemployment support. [2] Expansion of special subsidy projects for emergency local employment creation. [3] Creation of new "concentrated support projects to regenerate employment for those who lost jobs due to bad loan disposals." [4] Enhancement of subsidy measures for Emergency Work Sharing. [5] Creation of a "early re-employed workers support fund project," and a two year employment insurance premium deferment. Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda also stated that out of the points in RENGO FY 2003 budget demands, the government (and related ministries) will study the possibility of subsidizing re-employment support under labor-management organizations and look into establishing a table where the effectiveness of employment measures can be assessed. Sasamori responded saying that RENGO can appreciate Fukuda's answer although the response is still insufficient. His demands included further expansion of livelihood support loans for the unemployed, a raise in the maximum amount of money to be advanced against unpaid wages, and so forth. During the exchange of opinions, RENGO Vice President Takagi pointed out such problems as: the operation of the Industrial Revitalization Corporation and employment issues, securing impartial and fair taxation and the '9-6-4 issue.' (The term income apprehension rate inequity applies to the Tax Office's assessment of reported income. It is currently estimated that 90% of all salaried workers incomes, 60% of the self-employed, and 40% of agricultural workers are accurately reported.) Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda responded that he would pass the information on to the related ministers and agencies. |
