Priority Policies, Measures on Asbestos, etc.
RENGO Demands to Political Parties, Ministries and Agencies
12 August 2005
RENGO has developed a series of demand activities to present to political parties, ministries and agencies regarding "RENGO Priority Policies for FY 2006," "Demands and Proposals for Policies and Systems: FY 2006-2007," and others.
On August 4th, RENGO conducted a demand activity at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare consisting of four points and including twenty two items such as "Building a patient-oriented medical care system through securing workers' jobs, labor conditions, and shorter working hours as well as improving the quality of medical service."
On August 8th, RENGO engaged in a demand activity at the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency. While appealing the problem of polarization in the sizes of firms as well as a sense of crisis toward the diversification of employment patterns, and in addition to requesting support from the Agency, RENGO also demanded that the Agency accept its priority policies as well as those issues relating to the "skyrocketing prices of raw materials."
On August 9th, RENGO held a demand activity at the Ministry of Environment over measures regarding asbestos waste.
To prevent an increase in the amount of damages in this eleven-item demand, RENGO also urged that the Ministry guarantee preventative measures against asbestos waste dispersal at dismantled building sites or from scrapped waste, encourage firms to disclose information so that they will dispose of waste in an environment-friendly manner, and promote safe substitutions through imposing an early and total ban on the manufacturing of and any new use of asbestos, which has been prohibited in principle. Furthermore, RENGO demanded that the ministry strengthen its understanding of the actual status of and respond to people's anxieties as well as responding to the damages already done in the past.