Current location:International Imagery news portal > health
VOX POPULI: History of ‘shunto’ spring labor offensive seems timely
International Imagery news portal2024-05-21 21:36:46【health】9People have gathered around
IntroductionWhen I was a cub reporter, reporting on trade unions was a real struggle because I had to learn a sl
When I was a cub reporter, reporting on trade unions was a real struggle because I had to learn a slew of industry terms and phrases I’d never heard before.
For instance, “tansan” (industrial union) denotes a coalition of labor unions representing a single industry. But I was once laughed at by a union executive for mistaking that word for “tansan denchi,” which is Japanese for AA battery.
I picked up the lingo, one word at a time. I learned that “bea,” short for the Japanglish “base-up,” means raise in the base-pay scale, and that “teisho,” also an abbreviation of “teiki shokyu,” denotes an annual regular wage hike.
The word “shunto,” meaning spring labor offensive, has a special ring to it. Each spring, labor-management negotiations are held to determine wages and bonuses for the coming fiscal year.
Since their inception nearly 70 years ago, these negotiations have always taken place simultaneously across all industries, the purpose being to demonstrate labor solidarity and exert pressure on management.
The man who established this formula was Kaoru Ota (1912-1998), a trade union leader affectionately called “Ota Rappa” (Ota trumpet) for his good cheer and boundless energy.
From 1958 to 1966, Ota served as chairman of the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sohyo), which led Japan’s labor movement back then.
His book, “Shunto no Shuen” (The demise of shunto), depicts his all-out commitment to organizing walkouts. Ota went on the offensive, indeed, in spring.
But economic recessions and changes in employment practices have caused the unifying power of unions to decline, exposing them to accusations of becoming too cozy with management and losing their identity.
And the term “kansei shunto” (literally, government-led spring labor offensive) was coined when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pursuing his economic policies dubbed “Abenomics,” called on the business community to raise wages.
This year, major corporations agreed to higher-than-usual wage increases, and the Bank of Japan cited shunto’s achievements among the reasons for ending its negative interest rate policy.
But now that the estimated percentage of union members among employees has hit a record low of 16.3 percent, rising wages don’t really mean anything unless they apply also to employees of small and mid-sized companies and part-time workers.
Shunto today is among “kigo” seasonal keywords in haiku poetry. But the times are still rough for organizers of shunto.
A haiku by Takeo Nakajima (1908-1988) goes to the effect, “Blowing my breath into a trumpet/ At the conclusion of shunto negotiations.”
Is the breath being blown into this year’s trumpet a sigh of resignation, or is it a sigh of relief?
--The Asahi Shimbun, March 30
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Address of this article:http://ghana.antjekoch.com/news-85d299910.html
Very good!(218)
Related articles
- Jennifer Garner visits ex
- David Beckham talks to Jimmy Kimmel about 'perfect' Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami
- Elizabeth Taylor documentary with never
- Club World Cup: Why FIFA is facing pushback over US
- ‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
- Stunning 125
- Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen out for Game 2 against Celtics with bruised ribs
- Pope urges Italians to have babies as a measure of hope for future
- Jessica Biel CHOPS her long locks into a bob after book signing in Studio City
- Airbnb, Topgolf Callaway fall; AppLovin, Cheesecake Factory rise, Thursday, 5/9/2024
Popular articles
Recommended
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
Jeremy Allen White shares a FIRST LOOK of The Bear's third season
Arvind Kejriwal given bail by India's Supreme Court
Hopes are fading for 44 workers still missing days after South Africa building collapse; 9 are dead
Dame Judi Dench's tears as she receives Sycamore Gap tree seedling at Chelsea Flower Show
The Latest
World's largest deinonychosaur tracks discovered in China's Fujian
Life after Florida Georgia Line: Brian Kelley is ready to reintroduce himself with new solo album
Links
- Third CIIE to create new opportunities for common development
- China's second domestically
- Serbian president receives injection of Chinese COVID
- Xinhua Headlines: China, Vietnam Lift Ties to New Stage, Aiming for Shared Future
- Former CDC directors: U.S. politicians undermine CDC unconscionably
- Italy to cut red tape, speeding up economic recovery amid coronavirus emergency
- Three giant pandas born in Belgium to head back to China
- Orange harvest in central Gaza Strip
- Three giant pandas born in Belgium to head back to China
- Insights丨Experts call for a fair reading of China’s prospect