Dear friends,

On Friday 12 March, the day a railway trade union in UK, RMT, stages strike, a railway trade union in Japan, DORO-CHIBA, also starts strike for driving safety. Below is their determination for anti-war action on 20 March.

Hiroshi Kanba
japan2world@hotmail.com
http://stopwar.fc2web.com

ALL RISE UP FOR SPRING LABOUR OFFENSIVE!

Daily DORO-CHIBA, No5828, 1 March 2004
http://www.doro-chiba.org/nikkan_dc/n2004_01_06/n5828.htm

Advance from Discussion Rally on 6 March in Tokyo Metropolitan Area,
To International Anti-War Action on 20 March!

WIN A GOOD DEBATE RALLY FOR VICTORY OF SPRING LABOUR OFFENSIVE!

We started to fight “the first round” of Spring Offensive from the 10th of February. We won a good historical victory with 16-day “nomination strike”, partial strike by nominated union members, and non-cooperation struggle by all the members. This is a great springboard for “the final round” of 2004 Offensive.

Hiroshi OKUDA, president of KEIDANREN, Federation of Economic Organization, has shouted and said:

“Make the economy grow or die!”

“Survival of the state is the top priority. In order to ensure that, we need to cut off twigs and undergrowth”

“Some people still believe the existence of a little hope, and they think it goes forever in the future. But it’s a complete mistake. They look like creatures from Planet Zog”

OKUDA has declared total wage down including abolition of annual pay rise and base pay down. He wants just a limited numbers of big businesses and state survives. In order to ensure that, he wants to victimize workers and exploit everything, even the right to live.

RENGO, Trade Union Confederation of Japan, has surrendered completely to KEIDANREN’S attack. They have abandoned for 3 years consecutively to organize collective demand for base pay rise. Trade unions of cars and electrical in RENGO have decided not to demand base pay rise.

Spring Labour Offensive this year is fought in these situations. It is the fight for workers’ right to live, to form its own organizations, and to change the society as a whole.

Jun’ichiro KOIZUMI’s government of Japan kept sending its troop to Iraq where battle is still going on. They are preparing to enact numbers of reactional bills like economical sanction bill against North Korea, national emergency related bills, and deterioration of Education Standard Act. KOIZUMI has to choose war to ensure Japan to survive. These attacks and attacks on workers are two sides of the same coin.

On 20 March, anniversary day the Iraqi war started, a world wide anti-war action has been called. Workers of the globe are about to stand up united. We have to broaden our achievement of 9 November Workers’ Rally last year. Let’s build even much bigger network or fighting workers together with DORO-CHIBA. Let’s win a good debate rally for victory of spring labour offensive!

“STOP TROOP DISPATCH TO IRAQ! KOIZUMI MUST GO NOW!”
“COME ALONG TO HIBIYA 20 MARCH!”
TWELVE THOUSANDS FILL MEIJI PARK DESPITE OF COLD WIND

“Defend peace and lives” 13 February Rally was held with twelve thousands participants amidst of blowing cold wind of winter. They chanted slogans like: “Stop dispatch troop now!”, “Bring the troop back home!”, “Smash National Emergency Act!”, and “Koizumi must go!”

DORO-CHIBA marched 3-kilometer demonstration to Shinjuku together with colleagues of Land, Sea, Air, and Longshore 20 Trade Unions.

When a leader of ZENKOKU-KOWAN, longshore trade union, said that they would organize the protest against transport of ammunitions to Iraq at Muroran, North Japan, participants loudly cheered and gave applaud.

Our union, DORO-CHIBA, is fighting for Spring Labour Offensive and for 20 March Hibiya Rally as dual fight. The strike starting from 20 February was the fight to demand withdrawal of unlawful order to change workplace without consent of workers, and to demand several more solutions. As JR-CHIBA Company has not shown sincere response, rage is building up among workers day by day. This anger has started to spread among other trade unions in Japan Railway. We are now 100% sure that we can change the whole situation with collective fights of Spring Offensive and 20 March.

And it is not just railway workers who started to say “We can’t stand any more”. Koizumi government has sent troop of Japan to Iraq. Military dispatch to on-going battle field abroad, the very first time after the defeat in 1945, is the historical turning point for Japan to become the state that can wage war again. Working class people correctly started to have crisis recognition against the situation. And under the huge attack by KEIDANREN, wage cut, sacking, and destruction of social security system, more than 30, 000 people ended up to “kill themselves” annually. Rage exists all over Japan.

What we need to do now is to ensure people to realize their true power through their own direct actions. When we unite, we can change the situation. Hibiya Rally on 20 March as a part of world wide anti-war actions can be the key for success. Let’s fight all the process of Spring Labour Offensive and Advance from Discussion Rally on 6 March to Anti-War Demo on 20 March 2004!

DORO-CHIBA (DC) : National Railway Motive Power Union of CHIBA
Email: doro-chiba@doro-chiba.org
Web: http://www.doro-chiba.org

English page at:
http://www.doro-chiba.org/english/english.htm

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