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Today (29 March) is the day for Doro-Chiba’s 3rd strike in this year. (Sorry for the delay). Here, I send you 2 translation works: Daily Doro-Chiba on 16 & 24 March. At international anti-war action on 20 March, Japan had 60,000 marchers in Tokyo and 130,000 in total in 50 cities all over Japan which is the biggest in the past decades. Spanish people kicked out Aznar and French people voted for the Socialist Party. The tide is surely started to change. Let’s fight shoulder to shoulder! In international solidarity, Hiroshi Hiroshi Kanba
Strike Report No. 2: WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED 3-DAY STRIKE!The Daily Doro-Chiba No. 5844 (16 March 2004) Our unity was solid. All the Doro-Chiba railway trade union members struck from 12th to 14th March with solid resolution. Two hundred thirty one trains were cancelled. The strike has revealed the safety problem of privatised Japan Railway (JR) Co., created a sensation, and reaped a rich harvest. It was a marvellous strike and had a sure grip on all the members. NO TO TIGHTENING OF 6 MINS AND 40 SECS Chiba district of JR Co., however, did shorten the driving time on Sobu regular and rapid line on 13 March. So, from now on, everyday becomes the fight for safety driving. We cannot let fatal accidents like in Higashi-Nakano occur again. Doro-Chiba union gives appeal to all its members and all the train drivers: No matter how train delays, we should never drive unreasonably. We have to save the lives of ourselves and our passengers. Write down all the delays on official driving report. Each day is the fight. Let’s make the boss retreat and have to change the time table to the older one. The rail tracks are about to break and to trigger serious accidents just as we have disclosed in our strike. Maintenance has also been half destroyed because of subcontracting of its whole works. We need to have a courage to stop trains as we realise a trouble, to have a pride not to obey any orders that violate driving code. No fight, no safety! As chewing on the meaning of this slogan, let’ go forward! WE WON THE FIRST HALF OF THE SPRING LABOUR OFFENSIVE The 1st round of Spring Labour Offensive this year was non-cooperation fight starting from 20 February. It was the fight against Compulsive Transfer of Workplace and Unjust Labour Practice. Especially, we were focusing on the inspection workplace where majority of workers are retiring in just a couple of years. We’ve won a achievement. The 2nd round strike was the fight against “rationalisation” and for driving safety which was fought on 12, 13 and 14 March. We struck against subcontracting and deregulation. Strike - the direct and collective action by rank and file workers were the power the fundamental power to reveal the reality of “safety” in JR Co. where accidents are supposed to be concealed. Our fight made the boss apologise for that. As JR-Union works for the boss not for workers, and as Kokuro and Tetsusan-Roren have organised no fight, fruit of our fight has a huge meaning. It has showed everyone that united workers will never be defeated. FIGHT FOR 20 MARCH, AND TO THE END OF MARCH The next step is to fight against expecting “zero wage up” response from the boss at the end of March. Especially, we cannot let them destroy the traditional wage system on JR Cargo Co. This Labour Offensive is a matter of workers’ very basic right to live, and right to form trade unions. Japan’s what they call “Self Defence Force” has been dispatched to Iraq. Japan has recaptured its ferocious fangs. It has become “the state to make war”. “Abolition of regular wage up, base wage down”, “Put 90% of workers into unstable employment status”, “Crush the pension, disable health insurance and driving licence to those who have not paid the annuity premium” - These words by the capitalists tell us that it is a practical war on workers. We, somehow, need to strike back against Koizumi (PM) - Okuda (head of capitalists group) line. The Labour Offensive and the international anti-war action on 20 March is the 1st step to change the power balance between classes. With all the achievement we have got so far, let’s rise up for the last round of the Offensive 2004!
STAND UP FOR STRIKE ON 29 MARCH!The Daily Doro-Chiba No. 5851 (24 March 2004)
We impeach “zero wage up” response by JR-East and JR-Cargo Co. Smash new wage system! Doro-Chiba, railway trade union in Japan, had the 5th branch stewards conference on 23 March, made an interim summary of the fight so far (its historic achievement and yet gap to the original aim) and set a line for another strike on 29 March, the 3rd round bout in the Spring Labour Offensive. Aim of the fight: (1) Victory to Spring Labour Offensive in 2004! Smash “zero wage up” response! Stop deterioration of wage system! (2) Let’s broaden the achievement of long-term non-cooperation fight on February! Disposition and instruction: (JR-Cargo) Station workers go to half-day strike from 12 noon on 29 March (JR-East) Inspection workers go to half-day strike from 12 noon on 29 March “OKUDA VISION” AND SUBMISSION BY RENGOMajor companies answered “Zero wage up” to the Labour Offensive except Nissan on 17 March. Most of the bonus is the minimum level. This is a reflection of Okuda-vision instructed by Japan Federation of Economic Organisation and RENGO, biggest trade union national centre’s total prostration to them. It has also been revealed that Japanese workers’ average balance last year was in deficit for the first time after the World War II. And plenty of reactionary bills are discussed at the present Diet session: National Emergency related 7 bills, deterioration of Labour Standard Law and Pension Act, enactment against “complicity crime”, corruption of Education Standard Law and jurisdiction itself, and even the Constitution is the target now to destroy... These are the very reason why we fight for Spring Labour Offensive 2004. It is a choice between two alternatives: whether winning workers’ right for work and life, or bowing before capitalists and being sacked and mobilised for war. BUILD THE BEST FIGHT FORMATION!Like the other major companies, JR Companies insisted “Zero wage up”, JR-East Co. which has “the biggest profit after the privatisation” dictated “Zero up” on 18 March. JR-Union (JR-East Union) accepted the “zero” the same day and pledged their complete obedience to the boss. Doro-Chiba union and Doro-Sorengo, on 19 March, demanded another answer. No to zero! Yes to wage up! is the voice of workers. But JR-East Co. refused to answer on 23 March, and has insisted zero answer. JR-Cargo, even though expecting profit of 2 billion yen (more than 10 million starling pounds), is trying to insist “zero” answer and new wage system. Our decision for the 3rd round fight on 29 March was done amid these situation. Victory to Spring Offensive!
DORO-CHIBA ALL RISE UP RALLYDate: Monday 29 March 2004, 2pm-
DORO-CHIBA (DC) : National Railway Motive Power Union of CHIBA
English page at: http://www.doro-chiba.org/english/english.htm Read automatic English translation at: Read automatic Korean translation at: [Labour-J-info] generated by Hiroshi Kanba
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