(network 2004)(Japanes)

Let's make a nationwide network of fighting labor unions!

We request you to come from all over Japan and support a great cause at the rally on November 7th!

KAN-NAMA (The solidarity union of Japan construction and transport workers KANSAI area branch)
MINATO-GODO (The metal and machinery workers' union in OSAKA)
DORO-CHIBA (The National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba)

To all the fighting labor unions and workers!
Now we are at a turning point. We are facing times of big unemployment and war. We Japanese workers are now in a rainstorm. We urgently need to reform the present situation of the labor movement, to gain back solidarity, and revive labor unions.

During the past year, we have seen the escalation of attacks such as the dispatch of the SDF (Self Defense Force) to Iraq, establishment of war-related laws, joining of SDF to Multinational Forces and the establishment of detective oppression laws against unions. Japan is showing fangs again to the world as a "war waging country". Finally the deterioration of the Basic Law on Education, and our Constitution have been scheduled to be changed in 2005.

Together with this, full-scale deterioration of the labor law system is going to be done. Employment will become unstable and the workers' right to live is going to be taken away.
Mr. OKUDA, Chairman of KEIDANREN (Japan Federation of Economic Organization) says, "We demand to correct the activity to support vested rights". He demands more submission and diversity of the labor union by shouting out "offensive down-sizing". Dismantling of the pension / social security system is also being pushed forward in these attacks. 2,600,000 regular employment jobs were lost in the three years of the Koizumi government, and bankruptcy / discharge increased remarkably. The households with less than 1,500,000 yen yearly income went over 10%. Furthermore, the Koizumi government declares to "disestablish 10,000,000 jobs and reallocate them" by large-scale privatization through public employee system reform and postal administration privatization.

The focus of the attack is applied to the destruction of the right of organization of workers. The right of organization is on the verge of erasure, and the government is attempting to set about changing the Trade Union Law.
They consider the use of rights to organize and strike as a crime! Their attacks are escalating, such as successive criminal oppression, civil affair provisional disposition, and compensation for damages. The new detective oppression law is going to be established, such as conspiracy crime, and the crime of interference with forcible execution.

We rose up in the 2004 annual spring strike against these situations combining our shop-floor issues and anti-Iraqi war. Based on our right of organization, we have kept on fighting against successive bankruptcy attacks, waged labor disputes and pushed forward the organization of workers. Especially the west part of Japan, we expanded our front through the strikers interchange in the annual spring offensive and "a ban suit for Iraqi troop dispatch expense".

At the international solidarity rally on November 9th last year, we worked hard and called for everyone to reserve disagreements and expand agreements amongst us, and to encourage a unified front in a nationwide network of fighting labor unions. And brothers and sisters joined in this rally scattered all over Japan and stood in the front line of various fights this last year.

Now we are facing the political reaction and the crisis of losing peace. However, the voice of anger covers the whole country and the voice to demand revival of labor movement is beginning to sound everywhere. New fight of workers is going to spring out by breaking old framework.

On March 20th international anti-war action of the first anniversary of Iraqi war outbreak, we realized the epoch-making united action of workers conquering the difference of National Centers, for the first time since the dissolution of EX-SOHYO (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan). This action was led by the land / the sea / the sky / the harbor 20 labor union groups.
In addition, the teachers rose up for the fight not to stand up when they were forced to stand up and look up to Hinomaru (Rising Sun flag) and to sing Kimigayo (Song for Japanese Emperor) in unison. They repelled the threat of "severe punishment" by Ishihara, the Governor of Tokyo and the restraint of Teachers' Union headquarters. Now the large plaintiffs group of 480 teachers is formed and this fight made influence upon Tokyo Metropolitan City Workers' Union and Tokyo High School Teachers' Union and realized united action across the border of two big teachers' union National Center; Nikkyoso (Japan Teachers' Union) and Zenkyo (All Japan Teachers and Staffs Union). This fight is going to be a foothold for revitalizing labor movement and to stop changing for worse of Basic Law on Education.
At April 13th rally for withdrawal of the 1,047 railroad workers' discharge, strikers of KOKURO, DORO-CHIBA and ZEN-DORO stood on the same stage. Unions in metropolitan area joined together in this rally and we could realize an epoch-making united action.

Workers are now united and gaining back the power to realize the new age in all over the world.
Brothers and sisters of KCTU are rising up for the fight against union busting by Roh Mu-Hyun and this attack far exceeds that of the military dictatorship. They are fighting against troop dispatch to Iraq, for abolishment of discrimination against workers employed irregularly, to acquire lowest wages and to stop Korea-Japan FTA negotiation.
Also in the United States, brothers and sisters are fighting against the invocation of Taft-Hartley Labor Act and the oppression by the Patriot Act. And they are organizing Million Worker March in Washington D.C. on October 17th resisting the restraint by AFL-CIO headquarters and opposing the policies of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

We hope to make a nationwide network of fighting labor unions to break through a thick wall of rule in a rage. We hope everyone fighting in the working places or in the communities and all the same minded people to support and join in this rally heartily.

August, 2004

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

DORO-CHIBA