Support corporate restructuring or defend jobs? -- Akahata editorial, October 17Amid the serious crisis of employment, jobs policy is a major issue in the upcoming House of Representatives general election. At issue is what to do with the ongoing corporate restructuring schemes.
Everyone knows the tragic effects that unemployment and corporate restructuring have on many people. Joblessness has destroyed living conditions and thrown many families into the depths of despair. Many young people have difficulty finding jobs associated with the sharp increase in the number of temporary or part-time workers. All this makes their lives hopeless. In fact, more than 30,000 people killed themselves in despair in the last five consecutive years.
Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro's comment that "the employment situation has improved" shows how removed he is from the hardships many people who are out of jobs are experiencing. Considering that the unemployment rate rose from 2 percent in 1994 to 3 percent in 1997, the present 5 percent is very extraordinary.
Ruling parties must be held responsible for the increasing rate of unemployment
It is clear that the Koizumi Cabinet's "structural reform" policy is to blame for further worsening the unemployment situation because it encourages corporations to seek larger profits through restructuring and has destroyed many smaller businesses by speeding up write-offs of bad loans. Clearly, the Koizumi Cabinet must be held responsible for this. The Liberal Democratic and Komei parties must be condemned for supporting this government policy.
The need now is to establish rules to control corporate restructuring and to secure jobs. The Japanese Communist Party in its election policies demands that dismissals be banned if they are without any justifiable reasons; that any plans for personnel cuts be subject to prior discussion; and that violations of human rights in forcing workers into voluntary early retirement or transfer be prevented.
The ruling coalition parties are not only trying to evade their responsibility for the increasing unemployment, but are insisting that "structural reform is surely achieving positive results" (LDP Policies 2004) and calling for "structural economic reform to be promoted based on the principle of free market competition" (Komei Party Policy Program). What they are doing is making society more competitive under the law of the jungle and the accelerated corporate restructuring is forcing more small- and medium-sized businesses to go bust.
The DPJ says in its manifesto, "... revive a strong economy without unemployment." However, the manifesto stops short of putting the brakes on restructuring by large corporations.
With massive restructuring continuing without restrictions, it is obvious that the unemployment rate will rise and job security will be further threatened.
In fact, the DPJ and the ruling parties contributed to the enactment of a bill to adversely revise the Industrial Revitalization Law that provides large corporations with a 81 billion yen tax break and allow a 89,000-personnel cut.
Political parties basically have differences in methods to increase jobs. For expanding job opportunities, it is essential for large corporations to take corporate social responsibilities (CSR) such as ensuring employment.
The trend now in the world is to make large corporations fulfill CSR in order to achieve sustainable economic growth as the declaration of Evian Summit states.
The Japanese Communist Party proposes that the government and large corporations carry out their responsibilities to guarantee employment for young people, create new jobs, and eliminate unpaid overtime and long working hours. The JCP also calls for the need to address the shortage of manpower in sectors needed for supporting people's living conditions and for the government to financially support municipalities in implementing job creation programs.
Large corporations must bear responsibility for employment
The ruling parties show no interest in making large corporations fulfill their CSR but uphold an ad-balloon reading "5.3-million job creation in the service sector". What they call "job creation" is not only an armchair plan but based on massive headcount reductions in other industries, including manufacture. Even if the number of jobs is increased, it will be unstable ones with lower wages, which is all too irresponsible.
The only way to meet the people's wish for a breakthrough in the employment crisis is to curb arbitrary restructuring by large corporations and to increase stable employment opportunities. (end)