IX. Unemployment and unions
Unemployment itself is on the increase. The ratio of job offers to applications reveals this: in March 1991 there were 145 offers to 100 applications while by January 1993 there were only 96 offers to 100 applications. Unemployment is also rising among migrant workers. In the 1980s many firms employed illegal immigrants from south and southeast Asia to meet labour shortages, particularly in ``dirty and dangerous'' jobs. Now these jobs are being cut. Young and old workers are particularly vulnerable. Young workers looking for secure jobs with big firms find fewer job vacancies than in previous years, and the terms of employment for some of the jobs that do exist have also changed. The Tokyo office of Northwest Airlines, for instance, in March informed its 81 new recruits that rather than receiving jobs for life, they would only be employed on one-year contracts. Older workers also face a bleaker future. In order both to save money and to be able to promote high-performing younger managers, companies such as Sanyo Electronics are ``offering'' early retirement to managers in their fifties. Sometimes the only alternative is redeployment to a subsidiary or to a lower paid job. (From Asian Labour Update.)
Layoffs are also sweeping through Japan's banking and financial institutions. At the end of last month Sanwa Bank, Tokai Bank and Asahi Bank announced they would merge and would slash 10,000 jobs or 26.6 percent of their combined 37,583-strong domestic workforce.
The system of lifetime employment, which formed a cornerstone of post-war class relations in Japan, is rapidly coming to an end as the country's major corporations, such as Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi, shed thousands of jobs. The unions have embraced this process. Last year, for example, the Nissan union declared its support for the company's restructuring plans that would cost 21,000 jobs, or 14 percent of the workforce.
X. Rengo´s steps
Rengo was successful in getting the government to commit itself to formulating a specific plan for a ´1 trillion employment policy under the emergency economic measures package, and to promoting the creation of employment for one million people as well as job security programs. In addition to demands for wage hikes, major Rengo affiliates have indicated in their policy papers that they will file demands for a cut in annual working hours to 1,800, and an extension of the retirement age of workers up to 65 years. Rengo has argued for the firm establishment of the 40-hour workweek regime, legal restrictions on overtime work, legislation of equal opportunity for employment and labor practices, and the guarantee of rights for part-time workers and temporary staff. At factory shops and working places, we have aggressively taken actions to win labor contracts which contain restrictions on overtime work and guarantees for equal opportunity. Rengo is strongly requesting that these laws include language to stipulate the prohibition of laying off temporary staff in the middle of their contract term, as well as giving temporary staff whose service term for a company has exceeded one year the right to be transferred to regular employee status. Also Rengo intends to work to ensure the adequate protection of private information on job-seekers, the presentation of job opening information to every job-seeker in an equitable manner, and the guarantee of job-seekers' rights.
Conclusion
The conceptions of the labor unions in Slovakia and in the Japan are very different. As we have seen, one reason of this is the tremendous gap between Japanese and Slovak culture, traditions and values as the result of different origin and history. On the one side, Japanese labor unions created a movement which strongly contributed to the great economical growth after WWII and their position and aims are well adjusted to the Japanese structures. On the other side, Slovak labor unions still struggle with the lack of clear goals and conception, as the inheritance of the past regime. Problem is also the mentality of Slovak people, who don’t understand the role of labor unions in modern society and the fast evolution of the conditions in Slovakia as well. This topic may be concluded with the idea that the institutions are such as the people are. It will always take a lot of time and effort to change it.
From the discourse, it is evident that our hypothesis about decreasing number of unionized people with increasing unemployment rate is probably true. The interdependence between these two factors is evident, as is also the increasing job insecurity in both countries. With the increasing unemployment the job security decreases and people, instead of unionizing to seek better working conditions, accept their employment without risking loosing it through union activity. But we also have to acknowledge that there are more factors affecting unionization, such as company unions or procedures, eliminating the need of national unions. These, however, were not the object of our discussion.
Klement
Sobota, 23. novembra 2024
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