 Railway workers discuss ways to ensure safety The Liaison Council of Private Railway and Bus Workers on May 15 held a general meeting in Tokyo and discussed ways to ensure safe transportation, learning lessons from a JR West train derailment that killed 107 people. Council Chair Abe Hideo said, "As transportation workers, let us stimulate discussions at the workplace on how to prevent similar accidents and establish safety." A participant working at the Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd., reported that a "cost reduction team" set up in the headquarters is conducting a serious cost-cutting drive. An employee at the Tobu Railway Co. Ltd., introduced representations that workers made to a labor union urging it to investigate the cause of a recent accident and take safety measures. The Private Railway Solidarity Committee, a national organization striving to democratically strengthen the union movement, recently issued a statement calling for workplace-based discussions on safety in public transportation. It called on working conditions to be improved, ATS (Automatic train stop system) to be upgraded, and tight train schedules to be relaxed. - Akahata, May 19, 2005 |