2003 Spring Struggle begins

At the start of the 2003 Spring Struggle, many Japanese workers took part in a concerted action on January 21 to show their resolve to stop wage cuts by large corporations.

This nationwide action was organized by the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the Committee for the 2003 Spring Struggle.

In the Marunouchi district near Tokyo Station where the headquarters of many corporations are located, about 600 union members staged a protest against the Japan Business Federation's policy of cutting wages.

A member of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers' Union (JMIU) from Saitama Prefecture said, "Unions at large companies have decided not to demand a wage increase, but we must struggle in order to defend our jobs and living standards."

The day's actions held in Tokyo also included protests against the acceleration of banks' bad loan disposals in front of the Finance Ministry and an assembly against the proposed adverse revision of the labor laws in front of the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry. Telecom workers held a rally in front of the NTT holding company which is promoting anti-worker restructuring while maintaining more than 8 trillion yen in internal reserves.

A worker of Nikon Corp. said, "After the company failed to increase wages last year, many of my co-workers retired and others have been shifted from one section to another. Business leaders say that they have to carry out wage decreases to defend jobs. That's what I cannot understand." (end)