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/* Written  8:42 pm  Jan 25, 1993 by theorganizer@igc.apc.org in
igc:apc.labor */
/* ---------- "Japan railworkers:no to privatiza" ---------- */
UPLOADED FOR LABORNET FROM THE STAFF OF THE

The Organizer 4017 24th St. #19 San Francisco, Ca 94114 USA $12 -
Year           $30 International

From the

INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN
AGAINST PRIVATIZATIONS
Japan Railway Workers Militant Fightback!

Naoto Miyazawa

Sisters and brothers, I am a member of a local support group for
Japanese railway workers in Sapporo, Japan.  Currently, the
Japanese government is planning to use its economic and political
influence - and even military force - under the name of the United
Nations, or international collaboration. In order to do this, they
have been forced to try to eliminate certain obstacles during
recent years, namely, the peace-loving consciousness of the
Japanese people, the existence of relatively strong labor parties,
and the activities of independent labor unions.  To fulfill this
purpose, the government in 1987 broke up and privatized the
Japanese railway system.  Attacks by the government, the company,
the mass media, and right-wing unions have been severe and
effective. This caused the most militant labor union - Kokuru as
well as others - to lose a large part of their membership. Many
local rail lines were eliminated during and after the
privatization process, in spite of strong popular opposition.
Japanese railways employ some tens of thousands of workers. Those
who kept their jobs are subject to exhausting work conditions.
Train conductors do not have enough time to go to the bathroom.
The company has saved money, particularly in the area of safety.
Workers cannot guarantee safety, because they are severely
punished if the trains are delayed. Accidents and real disasters
happen because of simple mistakes and failure to meet safety
standards. These conditions exist not only for railway workers,
but for most of the Japanese and non-Japanese workers in Japanese
companies, both in and outside Japan.  Kokuru and other labor
unions are barely surviving. But they haven't been defeated yet,
and continue to fight against discriminatory treatment by the
company. Local labor relations commissions have ordered Japanese
rail companies to rehire fired workers, but the Japanese rail
companies ignores the order.  This May, the Central Labor
Relations Commission under pressure from the government proposed a
compromise to both the Japanese railways and unions.  This
compromise would be very bad for workers. It does not acknowledge
the discriminatory and unfair treatment of workers by the company,
and the company would have to rehire the workers for one month
only and without specific work assignment, during which time
Japanese railways shall try to find work for them in other
companies.  The unions have rejected the proposal, and demanded
that the orders of the local labor relations commissions be
obeyed.  This struggle still has not received sufficient support
from the Japanese people. But it is a thorn in the side of the
government and the bureaucracy of the right-wing union, as they
intend to construct a new political system like that in the United
States, with two big political parties and no means for real and
militant class struggle. We are trying to join together workers
and the members of various organizations to support the struggle
against this right-wing tendency.  Our local group is working on a
wider scale to organize a network of regional support movements
for the Kokuru union. At the same time, we need the support of
workers internationally, because only the strength of
international labor will be able to overcome international
capital.  In Japan, because of the control of the mass media, even
union members are unaware of the privatization drive in other
countries, and the struggle of U.S. railway workers. We need
direct information about conditions and struggles of workers in
other countries.  We wish to establish ties of direct
international solidarity, without bureaucratic and intellectual
go-betweens.  Let's fight together for a world labor movement.

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