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Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kansai Area Branch (Kan-Nama)
Metal and Machinery Workers’ Union in Osaka (Minato-Godo)
National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba (Doro-Chiba)

Fighting brothers and sisters, workers across the nation!
Time has come that united workers’ power stand at the forefront of the history.

Stormy offensive of neo-liberalism is awakening working people all over the world who have remained dormant for years. Waves of strikes are vehemently raging against discharge, wage-cuts and privatization everywhere. Food riots and national liberation struggle are spreading like wildfire. In Korea, a million demonstrators are flooding the street and brothers and sisters of Korean Federation of Trade Unions (KCTU) are rising up for general strike. Colleagues of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) waged a May Day work-stop to oppose the War on Iraq, shutting down all the ports on the West Coast. In Japan also the whole society is filled with anger and among others, young workers who are forced to be ‘working poor’ have begun fighting. A huge magma is bursting out of the volcano of angry people as is demonstrated by the boom of a novel “Crab-Canning Boat” (note) and strike of fishermen. Labor movement has begun to get back its militancy violently after long-years’ setback under the attack of neo-liberalism.
Note “Crab-Canning Boat” (1929): a slave labor story by a prewar proletarian writer, KOBAYASHI Takiji, who was tortured to death by police in 1933.

Neo-liberal offensive, carried out with the catchwords, “Competition is everything” “Unrestricted freedom for corporate activities”, has brought forth poverty, starvation and disparity all over the world. Privatization, deregulation and union busting have driven a huge number of workers into irregular jobs and dismantled social security system and education as well. War has spread from Iraq to Georgia.

An extraordinary development of world economy that had been repeating extensions and bursting-outs of bubble for more than two decades has finally reached its limit. We are now facing a simultaneous development of soaring inflation and serious depression caused by sky-rocketing rise of oil and grain prices as a result of wild flow of speculative funds since the collapse of sub-prime mortgage. This is the miserable destination of the rotten capitalist system.

Japanese economy is no exception. Recently it contracted for the first time since long period. Reactionary Fukuda administration is frontally hit by this and is now on the brink of collapse. This reverse situation promotes an accelerated drive for an attempt of discharge of two million public service workers through privatization, further reduction of social security expenditure, a large-scale tax increase, more sacrifice of working people and reactionary policy of constitutional revision and war.

What is deadly needed now is revitalization of labor movement. Our proposition for November Workers’ Rally 2008 is the following three points:
Firstly, we urge all of you to organize revolts from your workplace to overcome existing labor leadership, such as Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) and Zenroren (National Confederation of Trade Unions). European upsurge of strike deserves the name of “wage revolt 2008”. In face of the current situation, in which numerous workers under rampant inflation are shouting, “We must live”, it is imperative for us to gather their angry voices into a movement to demand abolishment of irregular employment, defense of decent life, wide wage raise, higher standard of minimum wage. We call for the spring labor offensive 2009 under the slogan, “General strike is needed. Let’s revitalize militant labor movement”
Secondly, we ask for a general mobilization to the rally of angry workers, first of all those national railway workers who have been fighting for withdrawal of unjust dismissal of 1047 unionists (as a result of the division and privatization of national railway in 1987) and other workers confronting union busting, constitutional revision and war drive. The struggle against dismissal of 1047 national railway workers is now in a decisive phase. We categorically oppose to the attempt of reaching a ‘political solution’ by ‘4 parties concerned and 4 organizations’, excluding Doro-Chiba and dropping the demand of withdrawing the unjust dismissal. All the rights and future of workers depend on the development of the struggle against dismissal of 1047 national railway workers.
Thirdly, we stress upon the urgent task of promoting international solidarity of workers that has been developed for five years. Now is the time when united power of workers of all countries is desperately needed.

The past year we of three sponsoring unions of the rally have been making strenuous efforts to revitalize labor movement. Kan-Nama has successfully fought back a ferocious crackdown on the union and has defended the achievement of the struggle based on industrial policy. Minato-Godo has kept confronting corporate bankruptcy and subsequent discharge organizing workers of small and medium enterprises under the slogan, “Unity is our life”. Doro-Chiba has been consistently carrying out struggle against dismissal of 1047 national railway workers, struggle for rail safety against rationalization and has been developing organizing activities for larger and stronger union.

On the National Workers Rally last year, we called for the establishment of a nationwide network of joint centers of labor unions and labor schools and proposed to launch a fresh start for the revival of militant labor movement from every workplace and community. Our program has been successfully materialized by our fellow workers across the country in setting up labor schools in nearly 20 cities in a year.
What is urgently needed now is to build up a nationwide network of militant labor unions. For this common goal, it is imperative to put aside difference of views among unions and to try to reach a broad accord. Workers must take back unity in their hands and revitalize labor union. In other words, be aware of your own power and ability and be proud of yourself once again.

We three of sponsoring unions have come to a decision to call on all workers across the nation to join November Workers’ Rally in our effort to make a great leap forward. Let’s gather all angry voices of working people to the rally and make a proclamation that united struggle of working class is the only power to change the society and to create a history.
We ask you all who share common aspiration with us to endorse and join in November Workers’ Rally.

August 2008

Let’s build up a nationwide network of militant labor unions!
For international solidarity of working class to confront constitutional revision, war, privatization and union busting!

November 2 National Workers’ Rally
Date: November 2, 2008, Sunday, at 12:00
Place: Hibiya Outdoor Music Hall, Tokyo