Organizing Unions: Action Plan 21, Phase 2
“2003-2005 Goals to Expand Unionization” |
| Introduction |
At its 7th Regular Convention in October 2001, RENGO set “Organizing Unions: Action Plan 21” as its highest priority issue and realized an expansion in its unionization by acquiring 293,749 new members as a result of two years worth of activities. However, RENGO takes seriously the fact that there was a decrease of approximately 395,000 union members over the past two years, which surpasses RENGO’s results.
“A labor movement everyone can trust” and “labor movements with social impact” were endorsed at the 8th Regular Biennial Convention and affiliated organizations, RENGO headquarters, and local RENGO will all work together in an integrated manner on the “Organizing Unions: Action Plan 21, Phase 2” in which expanding unionization is the highest priority. In order to meet its unionization expansion goals for the next two years—from October 2003 to September 2005—it will do the following:
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| I. Establish Goals for 2 year Unionization Expansion (October 2003 through September 2005) |
| 1. |
Based on “Organizing Unions: Action Plan 21, Phase 2,” numerical goals for unionization for the next two years—October 2003 to September 2005—were gathered from affiliated organizations, local RENGO and RENGO headquarters. RENGO sets the total goal for unionization expansion at 540,000 members. |
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| II. Goals for Affiliated Organizations, Local RENGO, and RENGO Headquarters |
| 1. |
Expansion Goal for Affiliates: 422,119 new members |
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| (1) |
42 affiliated organizations reported their expansion goals.
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| (2) |
Numbers Reported for Prioritized Expansion Goal |
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| [1] |
Unionization for associated companies of member unions: |
104,373 members |
| [2] |
Unionization for part-time and other workers: |
68,954 members |
| [3] |
Expansion of union members at non-unionized organizations, or those which have not joined industrial federations, and open-shop companies: |
56,008 members |
| [4] |
Goals not yet tallied: |
192,784 members
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| 2. |
Expansion Goal for Local RENGO: 204,185 new members |
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| (1) |
35 local RENGO reported their expansion goals. Local RENGO set their own expansion goal number at 60,239 new members, which excludes the goal collaborating with local affiliated organizations.
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| (2) |
Breakdown of reported expansion goal numbers. |
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| [1] |
Make new organizations: |
14,701 members |
| [2] |
Expansion in non-industrial federation member unions: |
70,470 members |
| [3] |
Expansion through revision of the scope of union members including part-time workers: |
1,761 members |
| [4] |
Others: |
2,849 members |
| [5] |
Goals not yet tallied: |
115,355 members |
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| 3. |
Expansion Goal for RENGO Headquarters |
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| (1) |
RENGO headquarters will set up a unionization team led by RENGO headquarters high officials (the President, deputy and vice presidents, general and assistant general secretaries) to cope with unaffiliated (to RENGO) and non-unionized organizations in such industries as the mass media, construction, food, finance (banks, securities companies) and trading companies and work on promoting their affiliation. |
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| [1] |
Compile four unionization teams. |
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| a) |
Mass media team: Unionization Committee Chair Onodera |
| b) |
Construction team: General Secretary Kusano |
| c) |
Food and food related team: Unionization Committee Vice Chair Kato |
| d) |
Finance and trading team: President Sasamori |
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| [2] |
Detailed team structure and unionization progress |
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After the 41st Central Committee Meeting closed, the RENGO unionization expansion center will act as secretariat regarding the specific structure of the teams and the progress of unionization. The center will investigate and organize information collected on the current conditions in companies, such as whether or not they have unionized, whether they have activities at affiliated organizations, as well as the state of their current activities. Then, after discussions with related affiliated organizations and consultations with unionization team chairs, the center will summarize concrete construction of the teams, targets for unionization, and procedure. Those results will be implemented after the information is studied at the unionization expansion strategy meeting and unionization committee. |
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| (2) |
Along with this, RENGO headquarters will work to achieve its expansion goal of 60,000 members in 2 years. |
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| [1] |
Mass Media: |
3,000 members |
| [2] |
Construction: |
55,000 members |
| [3]
|
Food Industry: |
3,000 members |
| [4] |
Financial Businesses/Trade Firms: |
30,000 members |
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| * |
Out of the target numbers mentioned above RENGO headquarters set a number for its 2 year expansion goal that excludes any overlap in numbers with those of affiliated organizations and those which need mid-term outlook based on conditions of activities. |
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| 4. |
Individual Number for Setting the Total Numbers of Unionization Expansion |
| |
| [1] |
Expansion goal for affiliated organizations: |
422,119 members |
| [2] |
Expansion goal for local RENGO: |
60,239 members |
| [3]
|
Expansion goal for RENGO headquarters: |
60,000 members |
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Total number of separate goals: |
542,358 members |
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| III. Activities for Formal Affiliation of Friendly Participating Organizations |
| 1. |
Continue preexisting dialogue with the relevant affiliated organizations, advance discussion and strive to realize formal affiliation. |
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| IV. Reports/Tallies of Unionization Expansion Results |
| 1. |
Affiliated organizations will report the results of their unionization expansion activities every six months to the Central Executive Committee and the Central Committee. This will be divided into the following four periods: Period 1, October 2003 to March 2004; Period 2, April 2004 to September 2004; Period 3, October 2004 to March 2005; and Period 4, April 2005 to September 2005. |
| 2. |
Local RENGO will also report every six months to the Central Executive Committee and the Central Committee on the current status of regional unions, special participant organizations, and organizations directly affiliated to RENGO, as well as make reports about the changing status of those organizations (to be affiliated with industrial federations) along with the expansion results by affiliated organizations (industrial federations.) |
| 3. |
Based on the above reports, RENGO will report the results of its two-year expansion activities at the 9th Regular Biennial Convention. |
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| As mentioned above, RENGO established its unionization expansion goals and is acting on the “Organizing Unions: Action Plan 21, Phase 2” which was endorsed at the 8th Regular Biennial Convention. |
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