Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

2006 Spring Struggle for a Better Life Kicked Off at Central Rally

RENGO President Tsuyoshi Takagi opened the rally with the following call: “The critical points for labour to win through negotiations this spring are: the appropriation of funds for substantive improvements in wages, which we are demanding for the first time in five years; narrowing wage disparities at medium and small enterprises; and, improving hourly wages for part-time workers. Part-time workers and unorganized workers have placed great hopes on the 2006 Spring Struggle because it also takes up the social mission of correcting the gaps in contemporary Japanese society. Let us be aggressive in our negotiation talks in order to break out of the current impasse, where corporate performance is brisk but workers’ household budgets have deteriorated.” In response, representatives from the affiliates expressed their resolve for the 2006 Spring Struggle.

Following the opening, Takaaki Sakurada, Chairperson of the Joint Struggle Committee for Part-Time Workers issued an appeal, saying: “improvements in the social and economic status of part-time workers should be a social message from the RENGO movement,” and Chairperson Yukio Koide of the RENGO-MSE (Medium and Small-sized Enterprises) Joint Struggle Committee stated that “the greatest challenge to the MSE Joint Struggle Committee this year is to put brakes on the polarization of wages.”

In the concluding remarks, RENGO General Secretary, Nobuaki Koga issued the following call: “Let us join together under the RENGO flag and put all our efforts into turning the situation around.” The rally then adopted the Declaration on the Launching of the 2006 Spring Struggle, and with President Takagi’s call of “LET’S UNITE and FIGHT !” , the 2006 Spring Struggle for a Better Life KICKED OFF !