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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