'Shunto' has lost steam

春闘の行方

Pace-setting metalworkers unions, notably those in the steel, electric machinery and auto industries, have already given up demanding extra wage increases. Employers in these industries are set to make their formal replies in mid-March in accordance with a long-standing custom. Aside from Nissan Motor and perhaps a few other companies, however, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that new pay raises are off the table.

That is hitting small unions particularly hard. Wage talks in the small-business sector normally start later during the shunto, as they are based largely on the levels of concessions won by large unions. In better times, when most companies could afford to raise wages, this phased bargaining formula had favorable ripple effects on small-business wages. Now, however, that virtuous cycle is going into reverse. By the same token, the practice of big-business employers' making synchronized replies to union demands — which in the past also helped to boost wages across the board — is no longer useful.

Also worrisome is that unions still appear fettered by the same old herd mentality. Their common policy of giving priority to job security over wage increases is understandable, particularly amid record unemployment. Nevertheless, the decision of leading unions to drop wage demands in lock step comes across as a little artificial. It will likely have an especially depressing effect on small-business workers, most of whom are without the benefit of periodic base-pay raises available to big-business employees.

Reducing the wage gap between small and big business has been a major challenge for labor for many years. Under the circumstances, however, the gap is likely to widen. No doubt the ability of Rengo, as well as the metalworkers group, to set the pace for wage increases is severely limited. But considering their leading role in the shunto, it must be hoped that they will try their utmost to stem a downtrend in wages.

Shunto 2003 is significant for another reason: Labor-management talks center on issues called "minimum demands," such as part-time pay hikes and abolition of so-called service (unpaid) overtime. In particular, wages of 12 million part-timers, including temporary and contract workers, are the main focus of negotiations. The number of these nonregular employees, representing a quarter of the labor force, continues to rise.

One problem is the wide wage disparity between full-time and part-time workers. The difference is about 50 percent for men and 66 percent for women, despite the fact that part-timers actually work almost full-time. And the wage gap between regular and nonregular workers is widening. More than half of part-timers are not entitled to paid leave, according to a government report.

Rengo is demanding, as it should, a better deal for the part-timers as a major goal of the "minimum shunto." Unions and their industry groups must make maximum efforts toward establishing rules for equal treatment, including the "equal pay for equal work" principle. For such efforts to take root, however, legislative action may be necessary. For a start, labor and management should reach a broad agreement giving direction to such efforts.

Workers known as "freeters" (literally, free part-timers) — mostly young daily workers in service sectors such as fast food and retail — also deserve attention, although they are outside the reach of shunto. Their number, now estimated at nearly 2 million, is also increasing. Many of them are said to have no choice but to work in this way because they are barred from regular employment because of qualifications or availability. It would be unfortunate if they are treated as "throwaway workers," as a Tokyo high school principal calls them. They are estimated to make an average ¥1.4 million a year. The jobless rate among young people aged 24 and under was 8.4 percent in November, reflecting in part high job turnover.

An official of the metalworkers federation rightly stresses the importance of reaching out to nonunion workers. The unionization rate, which has steadily declined over the years, is now only 20 percent. To breathe new life into the shunto, it is essential that unorganized workers be brought under the umbrella of collective bargaining.

The Japan Times:
February 22, 2003
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      国内最大の労働団体、連合は賃上げの統一要求をすることを断念した。産業別労働組合がそれぞれの要求をすることになる。

      鉄鋼、電機、自動車産業の金属労協傘下労組は、ベースアップを要求しない。これは例年大手企業の労使交渉が決着後、交渉を始める中小企業労組に深刻な影響を与えている。

気になるのは組合の「横並び」志向だ。賃上げよりも雇用確保を優先する方針は理解できるが、主要労組が一斉に賃上げ要求を見送るのは少し不自然だ。大企業労働者のように毎年定期昇給の恩恵を受けることのない中小企業労働者は絶望するだろう。

大企業と中小企業間の賃金格差を縮小するのは長年、労働運動の大きな目標だったが、現状では格差は拡大する傾向にある。連合、金属労協が賃上げに主導権を取るのは難しければ、賃下げ圧力を抑える努力をすべきだ。

今年の春闘の大きな焦点は、パート賃金の引き上げである。1,200万人のパート、臨時、契約労働者は全労働人口の4分の1を占めるが、低賃金（男性の場合正社員の50％、女性の場合66％）で働かされ、半数以上は有給休暇もない。

組合側は経営側に対し、「同一労働、同一賃金」の原則を含め、労働者の平等な待遇を迫るべきだ。そのために立法措置が必要になるだろうが、まず労使の合意が必要である。

200万人もいるという「フリーター」は春闘の枠外だが、労働問題として避けて通れない。24歳以下の若い労働者の失業率は、頻繁な転職のせいもあるが、昨年11月に8.4％だったという。

日本の労働組合組織率は長年下降し続け、今や20％だ。

春闘を活性化させるには、非組織労働者を団体交渉の枠組みに入れることが重要だ。

The Japan Times Weekly
March 1, 2003
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