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For International Workers’ Solidarity! Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kansai Area
Branch (Kan-Nama)Metal and Machinery Workers’ Union in Osaka (Minato-Godo) August 2014 In 1998, we gathered in the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall with a call to establish “a nationwide network of militant labor unions”. Since then the November Workers’ Rally has been organized every year for 16 years with active support of our friends and colleagues who are courageously fighting in workplaces all over Japan. Firm determination for the revival of labor movement filled every rally. Now we stand at a crossroad of history. Abe administration is rushing for war: the cabinet decision on July 1 to admit the exercise of the right of collective defense was taken in a way like a coup d’état in a flagrant violation of the Japanese Constitution. It turns Japan into a war state, inevitably setting free a wild drive at home to destroy all the existing social order and system which was brought forth after World War II. Labor rights, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of speech and the secrecy of means of communication would be swept away and public education would become the targets of total dismantling. Capitalism in death agony is already conducting brutal warfare everywhere in the world: Palestine, Iraq, Ukraine and others. Abe administration is intent to open the last door to total casualization, free hand to dismissal, deregulation on work-time, dismantling of labor rights. More than 20 million workers, who are thrown into irregular employment in these decades, are raising their angry voices with a demand: “Let us live” or “we must live”. Japan Policy Council is demanding a large-scale privatization of the business of local governments with a sensational report which alarms that 896 municipalities are on the brink of extinction. Social security system, medical system and public education are now exposed to brutal attack of disintegration. With an aim of restarting nuclear power plants and promoting their constructions, the real facts in affected Fukushima are concealed by the central as well as prefectural governments. An extraordinarily huge amount of radioactive contamination never experienced in human history is expanding and giving devastating damage to the life of the people of Fukushima. They are thus ignored, betrayed and abandoned even three years after the disaster. Furious voices of people are mounting day by day everywhere and in every layer of the population. It is urgent for us all to revive labor unions in each workshop. Let’s crush Abe administration by the united power of workers! What motivated the annual November Workers’ Rally was the unjust and reactionary judgment of the Tokyo District Court on May 28th 1998 which ruled the dismissal of 1,047 national railway workers at the time of the Division and Privatization of Japan National Railways was quite legal and was not unfair labor practice in spite of apparent discrimination. We, three co-sponsoring labor unions, shared anxiety and anger for this juridical move, that if we allowed such an outrageous court decision Japanese labor movement would suffer a devastating setback. Division and Privatization of JNR was actually the largest onslaught on labor movement in the post-war period of Japan. We have made up our mind to crush this capitalist attack and to take back militant labor movement in our own hands. The surrender of labor leaders committed by the “political settlement” in 2010 was fought back and reactionary trend was reversed by the winning of the Tokyo District Court ruling in 2012 on the unfair labor practice, upheld by the Tokyo High Court ruling in 2013. The struggle continues while the case has been brought to the Supreme Court. We have already made a fresh start for advancement of our own union activity. Kan-Nama is engaged in establishing an industrial movement to confront monopolistic structure of the industry through organizing ready-mixed concrete workers and other related workers into the union. Minato-Godo is fighting against Osaka Mayor Hashimoto, who intends to suppress and break up labor rights, with a slogan: “Unity is our life”, which in practice means to organize workers beyond the wall of corporation into a broad regional union. Doro-Chiba has launched a new struggle organizing workers who are employed in sub-contract companies to make a united struggle with JR main body workers against outsourcing attacks of JR companies following the Division and Privatization of JNR. National Railway Motive Power Union of Mito (Doro-Mito) waged strikes
protesting the policy of local governments as well as JR Company which
promotes nuclear power at the sacrifice of the life of people of Fukushima. Now is the time we liberate all our power accumulated through 16 years’
endeavor together with fighting friends and colleagues all over Japan.
Stop privatization and war! Let’s revive militant labor movement!
Take back workers’ unity! Go ahead in front of the anger and anxiety
of workers for the dangerous present trend and future and gather their
anger into action!
I (we) endorse the Nov.2 National Workers' All-out Rally*:
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