THE ANTI-LABOR OFFFENSIVE IN JAPAN CONTINUES
One: Holding companies, backers of Japan's war for world conquest,
outlawed at Japans defeat, have been re-legalized by the U.S.puppet Obuchi
government.
Two: Steel and transport companies schemes to force workers to quit so they
won't get compensation and pensions.
Three: Nikko Securities Company's system for forcing employees to apply for
early retirement at 40.
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From: Japan Press Service[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, August 20, 1999 9:42 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: JPS19990820-1
FIRST TRANSMISSION,FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1999
JPS 08-066
Major Three Banks to Set up a Holding Company in 2000 to be World's Biggest
TOKYO AUG 20 JPS -- Akahata on August 20 reported on a plan of two
major commercial banks, the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and the Fuji Bank, plus the
Industrial Bank of Japan specialized in industrial finance, to set up a
financial holding company in the year 2000, with a view to increased
competitiveness based on complete cooperation among them.
As of the end of March 1999, the total asset of these three banks is 141
trillion yen, far greater than Japan's biggest bank Tokyo Mitsubishi with 69
trillion yen, and will become the world's biggest.
This plan is designed by the three banks to survive the financial big ban
in the international financial market, because each finds it difficult to
survive on their own because of the bad loans they had during the bubble
economy.
If this plan is put into practice, it will be the first financial holding
company under the law on financial holding company which was approved by the
Diet in December 1997, to which the Japanese Communist Party opposed. A
financial holding company can exclusively control financial institutions
including banks and insurance companies, without doing any business on its
own.
In 1997 the JCP opposed this legislation on the following reasons: (1)
The law allows banks to engage in risky and speculative securities
transactions, at the expense of insecurity of deposits of ordinary people;
(2) it allows a bank's holding maximum of other company's stocks from 5% to
15%, which will result in increased control by banks over industry and
weakened position of small- and medium-sized businesses.
The postwar Anti-Monopoly Law prohibited a holding company, based on
reflection that the big zaibatsu such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi promoted
Japan's war of aggression in the Second World War by utilizing their
political and economic control through holding companies.
Hiroshi Okumura, professor at Chuo University, critically commented on
the plan, with this question, "Is it really good to be big?" He said:
Apparently the plan is a big gamble for survival of the three banks each of
which has a weak point. Financial authorities will welcome the plan as part
of financial reorganization. But there is no proof that being big is really
good for a bank and to the Japanese economy. In the 21st century, functions
of account settling and intermediatory financing will be more specialized
and differentiated. Merger into a bigger bank is contrary to the trend.
Another problem is that a major merger will accompany dismissals of workers
in the name of "restructuring." (end item)
JPS 08-067
Related Company of Nippon Steel Corp. Dismisses Employees who Refuse to Be
Transferred
TOKYO AUG 20 JPS -- The Hamada Heavy Industries, Ltd., a related company
of the largest steel company of Japan, the Nippon Steel Corp., forced an
employee who refused to be transferred to quit the company, Akahata on
August 20 reported.
One day in last March, Mamoru Aoi, 26, was suddenly ordered by the
company to be transferred to Chiba Prefecture, which is 1,000 kilometers
away from where he was working at that time in Kumamoto Prefecture.
First, Aoi could not even understand what he was told. All he could do
was to say, "No, I won't go to Chiba."
Aoi lives with his parents, taking care of them. His father retired 7
years ago and now he has to attend a hospital because of his high blood
pressure. When Aoi said to his parents that he might be transferred to
Chiba Prefecture, his parents dropped their shoulders.
The Hamada Heavy Industries has 9 plants and 1,800 employees in total.
Its main business is to clean up for the Nippon Steel Corp., but Kumamoto
plant in which Aoi was working with other 160 colleagues manufactures and
processes silicon-wafers for IC chip.
Koji Yamaguchi, 30, was also ordered to be transferred. He takes care
of his parents and grand parents. His father has already retired and his
mother is about to retire. His grand parents are in their 80s. In February
1997, Yamaguchi decided to work for this company because he was said at the
job interview that there was no such a transfer-system.
In the meantime, the employees who were ordered to be transferred somehow
started to contact with each other. They together visited Labor Standards
Inspection Office and the Public Employment Security Office, and asked their
friends and acquaintances for advise.
They first asked their trade union which is affiliated with the National
Federation of Iron and Steel workers' Unions (a member of the Japanese Trade
Union Confederation =Rengo) for advise, but in vein.
Then, one of their acquaintances recommended them go to the Kumamoto
Federation of Trade Unions which is a member of the National Confederation
of Trade Unions (Zenroren).
They came to understand the company's plot through the advise of the
Kumamoto Zenroren. The Kumamoto Plant of the Hamada Heavy Industries is
receiving favorable tax treatment, including tax exemption and reduction,
and receiving subsidy for employment coordination. Because of this, the
company cannot easily dismiss their employees, so the company orders them to
be transferred and waits until their employees will voluntarily quit. Then
the company will not have to pay retirement allowance and still continues to
receive the subsidy.
They formed the Hamada Heavy Industries Branch of the All-Japan Transport
and General Workers' Unions (Unyu-ippan) which is Zenroren affiliated, and
apply for a provisional disposition to the Kumamoto District Court in July
this year.
Mamoru Aoi, head of the branch, said, "22 out of 35 employees who were
ordered to be transferred have unwillingly left the company. Our union will
fight against such an outrage of the company". (end item)
JPS 08-0 68
Corporate Restructuring against Human Rights: Nikko Securities' Case
TOKYO AUG 20 JPS -- In its series of report of the ongoing corporate
restructuring, Akahata on August 19 featured the Nikko Securities, one of
Japan's major securities companies. The report exposes how its optional
early retirement program works as a vehicle of corporate downsizing:
More than 800 employees apply for optional retirement
Early 1999, the Nikko management offered its employees aged 40 years and
over an optional retirement program before they reach their retirement ages.
In two weeks from January 4 to 18, more than 800 employees applied.
Why, then, so many people opted for early retirement, although it offers
some preference?
One Nikko employee answered this question, saying, "This is the way to
make us raise a hand," and showed the Akahata reporter a list of the
personnel rearrangement order issued by the management last December. The
list includes the names of some 200 employees who were suddenly reassigned
to back office from an important position, or who were transferred to the
affiliated companies. Most of them were obliged to apply for the early
retirement program one month later.
"Those people were made scapegoats with the role of frightening other
employees into thinking 'next will be our turn,' which led to that massive
application in January."
The employee explained how the personnel rearrangement went on with the
200 people and still is going on aiming at the rest of the workers. One
typical way is to intern those "subjects" to the special room, Job
Development Office, without offering any job. Until recently, on the front
door of the special office there was a notice that read " Employees who
belong to this office only." About one half of the 200 were interned to
that room. Among the "internees" were 25 former department chiefs and vice
chiefs. Most couldn't withstand such a treatment and retired. Still now
there are a dozen of people in this special room with guards standing
outside, according to the employee.
Some are transferred to subsidiaries, where they are appointed to such
positions that need not their expertise at all as in charge of office chore
or taking care of company mail.
The management is now planning to offer the same program again but this
time with a twice longer available period for the application than in
January. If the number of the applicants falls short of the management goal,
the company will take on the same rearrangement policy.
The problem is that more than 80 percent of those retired still are
jobless, the employee said. (end item)
(END)
