The plenary session of the House of Councilors approved a series of bills on work-style June 29 in favor of the ruling and opposition parties. The laws count eight in the number, which will threaten health and life of the working population, risking their livelihood. Struggles are needed so that the laws should not be implemented. Let’s intensify labor actions united with workers, lawyers and families of victims of overwork.

PARLIAMENT ENACTED LAWS VIOLENTLY

After the Diet session approved the laws, reportedly, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo told proudly that it was the greatest reform after 70 years of enactment of Labor Standards Act. As he used to employ a phrase, ‘overcoming the postwar regime’, his recent remark looks natural. This is unacceptable, however, as it means another violation of the Constitution (Article 27 = the right to work).

Government Keeps Replying Insincerely

Premier Abe stated in his new-year address that the Diet session of this year would focus on ‘reforming a work-style’. Diet debates continue with many abnormalities. Incorrect data were presented to the session on the flexible work hours, which has led to a removal of the topic that the business circle expected with a hope.

Furthermore, misleading data were presented again in the Diet on working hours. Minister of Social Welfare and Labor Kato Katsunobu kept replying insincerely until the end of debates. Premier Abe evaded from meeting with families of victims of overwork. He was not interested in listening to their earnest hopes.

Opposition parties fought resiliently in spite of a time limit, but the debates focused mainly on introduction of a system of controversial work-hour deregulation. Other issues remain untouched; the upper limit of overtime which exceeds a stage of Karoshi (=a death from overwork), undermining of the working hour interval scheme, the so-called ‘an equal pay for an equal work’ plan, which is far from a solution of disparities, an obligatory use of paid day-offs and an increased pay for overtime work in the medium-and-small sized businesses, etc.

The approved eight laws in question accompany 47 additional resolutions. They do not deserve as laws. In addition, a work-hour deregulation will be certainly presented again and a monetary settlement of labor discharge will be put on the agenda, too. We must watch the legislature carefully.

Meanwhile the labor side must analyze deeply the points disclosed during the Diet debates. Despite the Article 36 agreement of the Labor Standards Act, overtime work prevails rampantly; transport section workers routinely work overtime and they cannot sustain without that and medium-and-small sized business entities cannot comply with the rules of Labor Standards Act. Undoubtedly the Act itself is being undermined.

Labor Offensive- Not Successful

Opposition campaigns were not successful; the Zenroren (=National Confederation of Trade Unions) and the Zenrokyo (=National Trade Union Council) held the National Caravan against Aggravation of Labor Laws. The Lawyers for Labor committed in concerted actions, but these activities were unfortunately defeated. The Rengo (=Japanese Trade Union Confederation) leadership staged only nominal campaigns due to their agreement with the government of the previous year. Other trade unions did not wage effective struggles.

The Democratic Party for the People left the opposition alliance in the last stage of the Upper House debates. The fact poses uncertainties in the future efforts to unite opposition forces.

We must strengthen labor offensive in the workplaces and local communities across the nation. We must fight strenuously in surging the minimum wage: ‘Let’s gain \1,000 per hour at any workplace immediately! Let’s gain a minimum wage so that we can live with 8-hour work a day, \1,500 per hour!

July 10, 2018