Japanese Railway Unions
May Day marchers in Liverpool noticed a red headband covered in Japanese characters, adorning a docker's head. Two weeks earlier it was worn by Mr. O. Yomono of the Confederation of Japanese Railway Unions.
Yomono told the dockers' mass meeting "Our headband shows our willingness to fight. Your strike against dismissal shows every worker how to fight, while many trade unions don't fight nowadays. We Railway workers are isolated but we feel your struggle is ours. We cannot dismiss your struggle as something happening in a foreign country. Let's fight together for our future."
Mr. A. Matsuzaki (chair), Mr. M. Kyorid, Miss F. Hayashi, and Miss Kazuko Sumino were also present on the delegation.
Two weeks earlier, Kazuko Sumino, employed by the East Japan Railway
Workers Union in their international department, spoke to LabourNet.
Kazuko Sumino: We were introduced to this Liverpool Dockers' struggle by Ken Loach. We are promoting his film "Land and Freedom", and we wrote to him. He mentioned the dockers' strike and sent us a video. So the union sent me here.
I came two weeks ago and reported back. The union thought it was amazing that the dockers kept fighting for 18 months without anyone leaving the strike, that they are united and are fighting solid.
We have to learn from this struggle, there is something in this.
Although the situation in Japan is quite different we found much
in common, such as the fighting spirit of workers.
LabourNet: Can you tell us a bit more about your union?
Kazuko Sumino: The East Japan Railway Workers Union was formed 10 years ago after the privatisation of the National Railway, , and we are the result of amalgamation with several other unions. Since then we have been fighting to improve our working conditions.
Our union has 56,000 members, and there are around 170,000 railway workers in Japan. We organise all kinds of jobs on the railways, including drivers. But the East Japan Railway Workers Union only organises passenger trains. The cargo trains are a different company, so therefore a different union. In Japan the unions are organised on a company basis.
We have now had ten years since privatisation, and many politicians and government officials want to change the scheme which was agreed 10 years ago in Parliament. For instance, the former National Railway has a huge debt. This is the reason why they originally wanted to privatise the railway.
Some share of the debt is held by the new railway companies, while the other share is the responsibility of the government, or the so-called Settlement Corporation. But after 10 years the railway companies have made a profit, so now the politicians want to exploit more, to change the share of the debt. We are saying it's not fair for the company or for workers.
They want to impose a greater burden on us, because they think the debt share is not big enough for new companies. But it's very irresponsible to put a greater burden on new railway companies, in other words on railway workers who have worked hard for these 10 years.
The Government didn't manage over the last 10 years to reduce
their share of the debt. In fact they increased it. They have
their responsibility, and we have our responsibility, and we have
done what we should have done.
LabourNet: So on this issue, the workers in the union are
in agreement with the railway company?
Kazuko Sumino: Yes, on this issue we agree, and we wish
the company to speak correctly to the Government. Politicians
used to exploit their profits from the railway to build new railway
lines in their constituencies. And that created a big debt. We
won't let this kind of thing happen again. We have suffered a
lot during privatisation. We don't want bankruptcy any more.
LabourNet: Are there other issues on which the union is
in disagreement with the privatised company itself?
Kazuko Sumino: In the East Japan area we are strong enough
to negotiate strongly with management, and up to now we have been
able to make our demands heard. The management is reasonable in
the East Japan area. There are some other regions where management
employs a very macho style so things are different area to area.
LabourNet: Are many of the railway workers women?
Kazuko Sumino: Women are very few in the railway industry,
it's increasing now, but very few, and I myself am not exactly
a railway worker, I work for the union.
LabourNet: What kind of jobs do women do in the railway
industry?
Kazuko Sumino: Mainly selling tickets or working in the
travel bureau.
LabourNet: Do any women drive trains?
Kazuko Sumino: No, not yet.
LabourNet: Is your union in favour of promoting and training
women to do jobs like driving a train?
Kazuko Sumino: Yes, in general sense yes, but no, not yet
I'm afraid.
LabourNet: But you hope it will come?
Kazuko Sumino: Yes, if someone wants to drive, yes. I'm
not so keen on this!
LabourNet: Have you had a chance to talk to the women who
are involved in the dispute here?
Kazuko Sumino: Yes I did. That's great, because I believe
they were ordinary housewives mainly, many of them, but they are
very active and very determined. It's a very good thing. Without
their support it's very difficult to carry on strikes.
LabourNet: Is there any tradition in Japan for women to
get involved in this way?
Kazuko Sumino: Not so many, but we have some, and our union
members' wives are very supportive.
LabourNet: But here they have formed their own committee,
Women of the Waterfront. Do you think this is an idea which might
catch on in Japan?
Kazuko Sumino: Yes, we have an organisation called "Women Against War" in our union. It is mainly families, and secretaries like me. "Women Against War" is very active in spreading the view of the importance of Article 9 of our Constitution, which declares "No War, No Arms" in Japan.
The union also organises study tours for union members, especially young members, to recognise what the Japanese Army did during World War 2 in Japan, China, Korea, and Asian countries. We think at the moment the Japanese government is trying to amend our constitution, especially Article 9. This is a very dangerous development.
We went to Tahiti to oppose French nuclear testing, and we organised daily protest marches to the French embassy. Many young members of my union went there. There were civilian and ordinary people who protest French nuclear testing, but not so many other trade unions I'm afraid.
A few decades ago it was normal for unions to speak clearly in defence of our Constitution. But now this slogan seems very strange, not many unions speak about it. But we think it's very important so we, along with other civil movements' activists, keep stressing the need to protect and maintain Article 9.
Other unions don't openly say they agree with amending the Constitution, of course, it doesn't sound like a trade union! But under the surface, some unions agree with the production of arms, and many trade union leaders nowadays don't oppose the Government attempt to remilitarise Japan.
Many unions take this view, I'm afraid, but especially heavy industry
unions. They think it helps Japan's economy. It's very dangerous.
More than 50 years ago Japan invaded Asian countries and Japanese
workers, almost all workers, followed this direction. So we think
it's important to realise our crimes, committed previously.
LabourNet: Is this policy of defending the Constitution
widely supported by the membership of your union?
Kazuko Sumino: Yes, absolutely.
LabourNet: And are there other unions where the rank and
file members also agree that the Constitution should be defended?
Kazuko Sumino: I'm not so sure, not so many I'm afraid.
There are many railway unions in Japan, so it's a very complicated
situation. But the East Japan Railway Workers Union, and the Confederation
of Japanese Railway Workers Unions to which we are affiliated,
are very strongly in support of defending the Constitution.
LabourNet: Would you like to say anything more about your
experience here in Liverpool, now that you've come back.
Kazuko Sumino: I think what is most amazing is they are
very democratic, they have mass meetings every week. I think it's
very important that rank and file union members contribute in
the union movement. Without this, the union will become very bureaucratic.
My union is also putting priority on organising rank and file
members.
LabourNet: How do you do that?
Kazuko Sumino: Union officials visit workplaces very often
and organise meetings very often, on various issues, and we organise
peace study tours on a voluntary basis, from rank and file members,
especially young union members, because they are the generation
who will organise our union in the future.
LabourNet: How will the rank and file members of your union
hear what happened in Liverpool?
Kazuko Sumino: We have two kinds of journals, a monthly, and another like a newspaper, and we will also make some other reports. We want to spread this experience.
