Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for expressing your support to the fight of the Japanese dockers against the adverse amendment to our Dockers’ Act.
The ITF Asia Pacific Dockworkers’ Conference held in Hong Kong on January 24 and 25 adopted a resolution in support of the struggle of the Japanese dockers. Furthermore, ITF sent out a circular to the member dockworkers’ unions to make a protest to the Japanese labor minister. We are truly grateful to the prompt action taken by ITF.
Our struggle in Japan consisted of a 24-hour strike on January 20 by 130 workers who belong to and were to be dismissed by the Port Labor Security Center. A hundred and ten of them stormed the Ministry of Labor, negotiated with the officials and succeeded in holding back the conclusion to be drawn at the inquiry commission. On January 26 all the ports went on one hour strike. January 27, 70 workers met at a rally in Tokyo and held negotiations with the Ministry of Labor. February 3, workers at the Security Center went on strike for 24 hours with 150 of them making a demonstration of protest in front of the Ministry of Labor. At the inquiry commission, the labor side objected to the amendment of the Dockers’ Act, while the employer side and the specialists supported it. As a result, the commission approved the proposal of the Labor Ministry.
The adverse amendment proposal of the Dockers’ Act, therefore, will be presented to the Diet before long. The proposal will be inquired thereafter at the Diet until April or May. The employer side mentioned that the 130 workers would be reemployed by stevedoring companies so that they may be able to continue working as dockers. We intend to negotiate the specific conditions with them.
Your continued support and encouragement will be greatly appreciated, as our struggle will now involve the Diet and negotiations with the employers.
Yours fraternally,
Akinobu Itoh
General Secretary
All Japan Dockworkers’ Union
Fax +81-3-3733-8825
E-mail aki-itoh@peach.plala.or.jp
