Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

RENGO’s Activities Relating to G20 Seoul Summit

1.Activities Made in Japan
In relation to the G20 Summit held in Seoul November 10-11, RENGO leaders met Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Ritsuo Hosokawa and other related ministers on November 8 and explained the contents of the statement issued jointly by the ITUC to which RENGO affiliates and other Global Unions, and at the same time exchanged views on domestic economic and labour policies.

In the meeting, RENGO emphasized the employment issue to be taken up as a central agenda for discussion in the G20 Seoul Summit in view of the fact that the unemployment rate is stuck at a high level and employment situation is not improved at all in each country including Japan.

Among others, RENGO requested the Japanese government to promote the goal “to make high quality employment for a key economic recovery policy” which had been confirmed at the 2009 Pittsburg Summit.

Moreover, RENGO emphasized the importance of setting-up of a standing working party on employment in the G20 in which social partners, ILO and other organizations will participate.

2.Activities Made in Seoul
Trade unions in the G20 countries including RENGO and Global Unions including ITUC had a Labour Summit in Seoul November 10 and 11 and carried out other various activities with the object of letting the opinions of the trade unions be reflected in the discussion of the G20 Seoul Summit held November 10-11. In the Labour Summit, about 60 trade union leaders from the world took part in. RENGO was represented by President Koga and other leaders.

In Seoul, trade union leaders met many heads of the state and top leaders of international governmental organizations. In the meeting with Prime Minister Kan, RENGO President Koga, ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow, ITUC- AP General Secretary Noriyuki Suzuki, FKTU President Jang, Seok-chun TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and other leaders participated in it, and appealed for the necessity of the discussion focused on employment issues and requested to hold a G20 Employment and Labour Ministers’ meeting early next year. Prime Minister Kan responded by saying that “decent work, employment creation , green jobs and other issues proposed by the trade unions are very important subjects and I myself express my opinions as so in the G20 Summit”. The Prime Minister also made clear his idea that “ there is no growth without employment, and the course of a virtuous cycle linked to a financial reconstruction should be paved by concentrating financial expenditures for growth on employment.”