Let Kawasaki Heavy Industry Co. obey labor relations commission's orders

At the Upper House Budget Committee meeting on March 22, Japanese Communist Party representative Osawa Tatsumi denounced Kawasaki Heavy Industry Co. for failing to implement the labor relations commission's order to correct unfair labor practices against its workers. The company had accepted the order last year.

Osawa said, "Kawasaki has refused to apologize to or talk with the workers concerned, and even tried to end the dispute by paying one worker a token sum of 30 yen a month as wage difference. It's a sham obedience."

In response to her question, Health, Welfare and Labor Minister Sakaguchi Chikara said, "I expect management and labor to talk over the dispute sincerely since the commission has reached a conclusion after many years' mediation."

Kawasaki had discriminated against certain workers in terms of wage increases and promotions with the aim of suppressing union activities. Demanding a correction of the discrimination, 16 workers in April 1994 filed the case with the local commission.

The commission in December 2003 acknowledged the firm's unfair labor practices and ordered it to redress differences of wage increases and promotions of those workers.

A senior ministry official stated, "A company will be fined less than 100,000 yen if it fails to implement an established order of a labor relations commission."

Osawa further denounced the company for its stance as an act of denying the enforcement powers of the commission. (end)