Betrayal of Trade Union

Trade union has long been the main supporter for liberal power or leftists in Japanese politics. Turning its traditional standpoint against Liberal Democratic Party, Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, reached a deal with Shinzo Abe administration on a bill of revised Labor Standards Act, which would allow employers not paying for overtime work. Rengo deserted its cause for its survival as the labor center by giving in a great political power that was declining now.

The revised Labor Standards Act was to introduce white-collar exemption, which would exclude well-paid skilled workers from work time regulation. In a highly competitive labor market, which embraces serious problem of excessive working to the death, or karoshi, white-collar exemption sounds like encouragement for excessive exploitation. Workers work hard to obtain skill for their higher salary. Skilled workers work harder to win the competition, for which employers would not pay.

The original bill allows employers not to pay for overtime work or extra-salary for midnight or holiday working by workers with ¥10.75 million or more of annual income, which may be applied to analyst, consultant, or foreign exchange dealer. Abe administration adds a safety net against excessive work, which is a set of options: 104 or more annual day-offs, setting of maximum working time or setting certain hours of interval between working shifts.

While Rengo has been opposing that system, since the bill was submitted to the Diet in 2015, it made compromise in some details. Rengo required that 104 or more annual day-offs should be the obligation of employers and adding two options, two-week recess and temporary health check. To the provision for ceiling on total working hours, Rengo demanded exemption for sales staff on business between corporations.

The families of victims of karoshi recognized the sudden change of Rengo as betrayal. “If an employer require excessive achievement in its business, the employees may have to have overtime work, even though a right for taking holidays is legally guaranteed,” told a leader of families of karoshi victims. Having opposing the bill, calling it “No Overtime Payment Law,” Democratic Party is disappointed to the deal between Rengo and Abe administration. DP could not understand why Rengo helped Abe administration in the time when Abe was in a hard time with consecutive scandals.

It is likely that the deal was a kind of coup inside Rengo. Some board members have been keeping secret communication with Abe administration and Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren on the issue. Most leaders of labor unions, including President Rikio Kozu, did not know about it. The board convened a meeting just before the deal, in which the board rejected explanation of the process. Some members criticized the board as not democratic. Liberal power is further decentralized.