Declaration of 38th Convention
September 28, 2009


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(Union News "Daily DORO CHIBA" No.64xx,)(Japanes)

Declaration of 38th Convention
September 28, 2009
Doro-Chiba (National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba)

We declare, here in the 38th regular convention, our decision on a policy for a fresh struggle on total examination of our practice in the past months of this year, a year of 30th anniversary of the founding of Doro-Chiba.

The whole world is precipitated in a global economic crisis. Administration of each country that has spent a tremendous amount of public fund to bail out corporations now claim that the depression has already reached its bottom and that the current crisis is overcome. It’s a downright lie. The world economy is rapidly contracting and a violent collapse of dollar is impending. The rate of unemployment is reaching 10% in US as well as in EU countries and further aggravation of job situation is anticipated. Japan is no exception. State finance is in bankruptcy with accumulated fiscal deficit surpassing \800 trillion ($8 trillion). Substantial jobless rate has reached 13% and working class is under a violent assault of wage cut. The number of people who committed suicide amounts 30,000 in each ten consecutive years. Education, medical service, pension and social security systems are collapsing.

Mounting anger of working people has finally overthrown the Liberal Democratic domination for decades of years. We are now in the midst of a historic turmoil. The newly born administration is in fact a coalition of Democratic Party and Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation). The ruling class, who failed to put Japanese working class under its complete control, is obliged to ask Rengo, established national trade union center, to be a part of its ruling system. The crisis of the ruling system has come up to the point to need labor union for its pillar. Rengo’s degeneration has reached a decisive stage of being a patriotic industrial movement. For the time being angry voice of working people is expressed in an overwhelming vote for the Democratic Party. But it is evident that sooner or later it will inevitably turn into a revolt of united rank of workers for a sweeping social change. Every thing depends upon who gains the power over labor unions. Let’s revitalize labor unions to confront the administration of Democratic Party that overtly proclaims constitutional revision and introduction of the Wider Area Local Government System, which means mass discharge of three million and six hundred thousand public service workers.

The attempt of “Four Parties and Four Organizations” to reach a political solution for the dismissed 1047 national railway workers has finally failed. The Division and Privatization of National Railways was a major offensive of the ruling class on the labor movement after World War II. It has brought about all the adverse situation of today, represented by an enormous increase of irregular employment reaching almost 40% of all the work force. Considering this, we have to raise a slogan, “Withdraw the dismissal of 1047 national railway workers” on the forefront of the struggle of all angry workers. The planned introduction of the Wider Area Local Government System is the succession and completion of the offensive of the Division and Privatization of National Railways. Workers’ anger is directed against Worker Dispatching Law. Let’s fight to abolish it. The struggle of dismissed 1047 national railway workers has a central position in labor movement and its victory will be achieved when its class significance is fully realized.

Underlying contradictions of the privatized railway system are violently coming out. Rail safety is seriously threatened. The current corporate policy that put the main priority on the stockholders’ interest has caused drastic cut and outsourcing of personnel to reduce cost on labor force and maintenance. Rail safety is sacrificed through neglecting regulations on train driving only for keeping the time schedule formally. The result is rigorous control of railway workers in the name of “securing safety”, pitting them against each other. Serious deadly railway accidents are frequently happening: violation of speed regulation needed in down-hill road; broken rail; carriage trouble; failure of power supply; construction error; death at work, and other grave accidents. Besides, every kind of irregularities and moral corruption of JR companies are exposed one after another, such as bribing to Railway Accident Investigation Committee members by the concerned JR executives, illegal taking water from the river by JR. It’s time to break down the privatized Japan Railway system by the struggle of workers with a slogan, “For rail safety and against rationalization”. Never forget the deadly railway accident of Amagasaki in 2005!

Chronic shortage of personnel is hitting every workplace and workers are forced to work even on holidays to run the job. Meanwhile the company recommends that employees rest enough. Stop kidding! You are neglecting to fill the workplace with enough number of personnel. We are not trash to be thrown out when we are used up. We need to address the imminent issues: assault on working conditions by forced transfer of drivers to stations, abolition and/or integration of railway bases and depots; wage cut; anti-labor revision of wage system. We must stand up with a demand we need conditions of workplace in which we can work till 65 years old without anxiety.

Alarmed by the collapsing privatized railway system, the JR management is intensifying a fresh attack to destroy union organization. The current assault on Makuhari branch of Doro-Chiba is to curb the growing union organization and to disorganize Doro-Chiba. In order to carry out outsourcing, the management is expelling Doro-Chiba unionists from important jobs and relocating union officers to remote workplaces. We must rise up for a decisive struggle of life and death with strike and workplace resistance. Let’s launch an all-out preparation for a strike on October 1.

Organize, organize and organize! That’s all. We go into a full-scale confrontation with capital in our engagement in organizing. Our slogans are: “No workplace struggle, no larger union organization” “No struggle for rail safety and against rationalization, no larger union organization”. We call on every union local and union member to rise up for a determined struggle of organizing, overcoming every kind of difficulties.

Capitalism is in a death agony. Let’s gather all angry voices of workers at home and abroad. Workers of the world, unite! Stop the road to the constitutional revision and war! Stop the opening of the Constitution Review Commission! Let’s forge solidarity of workers and farmers in Sanrizuka struggle (against Narita Airport construction) in a crucial stage. Let’s bring militant labor union to the forefront of the history in confrontation with the offensive of privatization and union busting. For a full mobilization of 10,000 participants to November 1 Workers’ Rally! Revitalize militant labor movement!

We declare this in the name of the 38th Regular Convention of Doro-Chiba.

DORO-CHIBA (DC): National Railway Motive Power Union of CHIBA
Email: doro-chiba@doro-chiba.org
Web: https://doro-chiba.org/

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