Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

Action Policies 2016-2017
SLOGAN :"No!” to inequalities
Let us create a secure society
by bringing all working people into the RENGO Circle
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..….…....…1
OVERVIEW……………………………………………………………………...…………………….…….9Bringing All Workers into the Circle of “Strength and Policy”
ACTION POLICY 1………………………………………………………..……………….……………16
Steady Progress in Expanding and Strengthening Organization to Realize
the Goal of “RENGO with 10 Million Members” and Reinforcing a Socially
Influential Labor Movement through Joint Action
ACTION POLICY 2………………………………………………………..…….………………………23
Supporting and Promoting Participation by Non-regular Workers,
Non-unionized Workers, and Young Workers
ACTION POLICY 3……………………………………………………..………………….……………25
Developing Policies and Systems Aimed at Creating a Secure Society
Based on WorkACTION POLICY 4………………………………………………………..………………….…………32
Raising and Promoting Horizontal Expansion of Minimum Working
Conditions, Realizing Decent WorkACTION POLICY 5………………………………………………………..……………….……………39
Strengthening Efforts to Realize a Gender-Equal Society
ACTION POLICY 6………………………………………………………..……………….……………43
Strengthening Political Activities to Realize Policies Advocated by RENGOACTION POLICY 7………………………………………………………..……………….……………46
Realizing a Sustainable Society through Fair Globalization

INTRODUCTION
The position of different workers is indeed varied. However, all workers share thedesire to engage in meaningful work and to strike a balance between work and acomfortable, secure life.
Presently, however, the number of individuals for whom such circumstances arenothing more than a pipe dream is steadily increasing.
RENGO’s role as Japan’s only national center is to fly the flag of social justice underwhich workers can form a united front and to plan and carry out mass action.
RENGO strives to engage in such activities to its fullest capacity while remaining
keenly aware of its role and responsibility as a representative of all working people. At
the same time, RENGO endeavors to develop a variety of actions that each worker canengage in as “their own personal action.”
I. Self-reflection. What Kind of Organization has RENGO Become?
1. RENGO’s evolution & track record since establishment and current
challenges
Up to this point, RENGO has carried out numerous actions combining “power andpolicies” with the welfare of all working people in mind. In addition to presenting avision for “a secure society based on work” and systematically organizing efforts torealize policies to achieve this ideal, RENGO has made steady progress by supporting
mutual-help efforts, discussions, and dialogues initiated by member trade unions andby mobilizing mass movements and information dissemination to increase publicawareness.
In retrospect, it can be seen that the calls “to oppose social injustice and to engage
in joint struggle with individuals in more vulnerable positions than one’s self” and “tobecome an organization that individuals who work in various workplaces andcommunities rely on” made in the RENGO Evaluation Committee Report (2003) andRecommendations for the 20th Anniversary of RENGO’s Foundation (2009) along withthe division of roles among organization at different levels as well as proposals to
select/concentrate actions and funding in certain areas presented in reports of theCommittee on the Establishment of Organization and Finances (1st report: 2002, 2ndreport: 2004, 3rd report: 2011) have been reflected in various RENGO actions.
Efforts to develop human resources—including the implementation of “acommunity-based face-to-face movement” through the creation of 260 local councils
and the establishment of a Center for Non-regular Workers, a Publicity and Education
Division, a Designated Team for Organizing, and the RENGO graduate school—are1based on these proposals.
Meanwhile, numerous organizational challenges remain that must be overcome
from the standpoint of the ability of RENGO Headquarters, affiliates, and RENGO localorganizations to jointly carry out socially-influential actions, including the long-term
decline in organizational members, inconsistent participation in activities such as
signature collection that are considered “simple.”
2. Is RENGO viewed as an organization that can be relied upon?
What do union members and officers in the workplace currently think of RENGO’s
activities?
As part of its overall activities to promote dialogue between union leadership andmembers, RENGO organized discussion forums between President Koga and young(New) union leaders (2 out of 3 have less than 5 years’ experience as a union official)in each of the 47 prefectures (KNT47), during which a questionnaire survey was also
conducted. Among others, the survey revealed that there is a strong desire among
union leaders to hear about successful actions and experiences of other trade unions
and that there is a dearth of activities in which young leaders feel that they can play anactive role. At the same time, many forum participants praised volunteer efforts forpost-earthquake recovery and other actions that capitalize on RENGO’s organizational
strengths. The survey also revealed that information regarding RENGO’s daily activities
is not sufficiently disseminated to individual unions and workplace levels. For example,
despite the fact that RENGO has been conducting a national campaign titled “Let us
say ‘No’ to inequalities for a Better Living” since 2013, many forum participants
reported learning about “preventing erosion of rules to protect workers,” which is oneof the pillars of the campaign, for the first time.
The fact that “actions that only RENGO can carry out” and “activities that should be
carried out because it is RENGO” have not been adequately communicated to union
leadership in workplaces is one of the reasons that union members feel a distance
between themselves and the RENGO movement.
Meanwhile, turning our attention to society, there are many individuals who are
feeling insecure about their employment and their future. To eliminate such feelings ofinsecurity, it is essential that RENGO engages in activities beyond the confines ofindustry and business enterprise to reform work rules, social welfare, and the tax
system. There is substantial latent need to “oppose social injustice and to become anorganization that individuals who work in various workplaces and communities rely on.”The biggest problem, however, is the fact that RENGO’s message has not reached thehearts of such workers and that RENGO is not perceived as a choice for overcoming thechallenges they are currently facing.
2<Questionnaire survey of young union leaders (KNT47)>
Expectations toward RENGO

Dialogue, exchange, workshops, etc. & information sharing: 27.8%
Raising awareness of RENGO activities: 14.8%
Easy-to-understand activities, familiar activities: 10.5%
Realizing a secure society: 5.4%
Political (policymaking) activities, supporting endorsed political parties: 4.5%
Educating young people and students: 4.1%
Expanding and strengthening the organization: 3.9%
Problems related to non-regular workers: 3.5%
Activities at the workers’ eye level: 3.3%
Realizing a gender-equal society: 2.5%
Improving working conditions and wages: 1.4%
Duties as Japan’s National Center: 1.4%
Guidance on regional and local activities: 1.2%
Measures targeting small and medium-sized enterprises: 0.8%
Peace activities: 0.6%
Measures related to unemployment and hiring: 0.4%
Supporting disaster-affected areas: 0.4%
No opinion: 7.0%
Other: 6.2%
3

What is the KNT47?
It is a forum for direct discussion between RENGO President Koga and young regional union
leaders who are expected to assume leadership of the labor movement in the future, held aspart of RENGO’s strategy to promote dialogue between union leadership and members.
KNT47 has served as an opportunity for young regional union leaders to directly voice theiropinions regarding RENGO activities and their own labor activities and to discuss thechallenges they face and their thoughts on the labor movement. KNT47 forums were held in
various locations throughout the country between January 26, 2014 and April 4, 2015. A totalof 792 individuals (529 men and 263 women) participated in the forums.

3. What kind of organization does RENGO represent to the next generationof workers?
In a survey of a wide swath of the public conducted by RENGO, approximately halfof the respondents reported that “I have heard the name before but don’t know about
their activities.” More than half of individuals in their 20s had not even heard of
RENGO.
When asked about their perceptions towards trade unions, the most common
answer was “unions work on behalf of workers,” and the second-most response was “itis difficult to know what trade unions do.” Especially among young people, an
extremely large proportion of individuals have the image that “it is difficult to knowwhat trade unions do” and “trade unions don’t feel like something familiar.”
The fact that the next generation of individuals who will bear the future of workforce
are not sufficiently aware of RENGO activities indicates that there is already asubstantial shortage in the power base that should serve as the foundation forachieving “a secure society based on work.”

4

<Level of Familiarity with RENGO>
Women intheir 20s
Men in their
their 20s
Total

Are familiar with RENGO

Only know the nameHave neveractivities

RENGO

heard of RENGO

RENGO “Results of a Public Survey on RENGO” (2015)<Top 7 Responses Regarding Perceptions of Trade Unions (multiple answers allowed)>
Work onbehalf ofworkers

Difficult to knowwhat kinds ofactivities arebeing carried
out

Essential for
improvingown
employment
conditions

Are not
reliable,but arenecessary

Oldfashioned

Don’t feellikesomethingfamiliarAre
reliablewhen
they areneededWomenin their
20s

30%

49%

19%

20%

21%

24%

13%

Men in
their
20s

30%

26%

19%

15%

15%

14%

15%

Total

31%

28%

23%

19%

17%

16%

15%

Source: RENGO “Results of a Public Survey on RENGO” (2015)

II. Awareness of Concrete and Practical Issues
1. Becoming “a familiar presence” in workplaces and communities thatworkers perceive and turn to as their “own” union
There is extremely high latent need for trade unions capable of creating workplaces
that protect workers and facilitate work.
In November 2014, the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) conducted asupervised inspection focusing on companies against which claims of work-related
injuries including deaths from overwork (karoshi) had been filed or that weresuspected of treating young workers as disposable workers. More than 80% of the4,561 workplaces investigated were found to be in violation of the Labour Standards
5

Act and other laws. Along these same lines, in a questionnaire survey of“Sweatshop-type businesses [referred to as “black companies” in Japanese]”
conducted by RENGO in November 2014, one in four respondents reported “I think myemployer is a sweatshop business.” Of these respondents, nearly half also reported
that “they had not consulted with anyone” regarding their employment conditions.
When asked, “Do you think trade unions are necessary?,” more than half of the
respondents who did not belong to a union responded “Yes” (sum of “they are
absolutely necessary” and “they are probably necessary”). However, the percentage ofindividuals who actually responded, “Yes, I want to join (a union)” was only 5%, while
the majority gave less proactive responses, “Not sure” or “I might join if I am asked.”
Trade unions must become a “familiar presence” in workplaces and communities by
increasing their ability to communicate and their ability to engage workers in dialogue
and by proactively approaching individual workers.
In addition to expanding the “Let’s Start with the Workplace” campaign andincreasing awareness of regional unions that individuals can join, it is also necessary toconsciously create opportunities for interaction with students and employers who havenot considered trade unions up to this point and/or individuals who have madejudgments about trade unions based only on image and not fact.
Let us extend collective labor and management relationships to all corners of society
and create a society in which all workers are compensated justly.

Do you think tradeunions are necessary?

Do you want to join aunion?

They are absolutely necessary: 17%
They are probably necessary: 37%

Yes, I want to join: 5%

It does not matter if they exist or not: 17%

I might join if I am asked: 18%

It would be better if they did not exist: 5%

No, I don’t want to join: 28%

Not sure: 24%

Not sure: 48%

Source: Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards (RENGO-RIALS): “29th Survey on
the Employment and Living Conditions of Workers” (2015)6

2. Creating a circle of trust by suffering together, discussing together, andacting together
Workers experience numerous problems, worries, and disappointing circumstancesin their working life. Facing such raw realities of life, worrying together, discussing
together, and taking action together to solve problems is the basis of union activities.
We need to check whether or not we have fallen into a situation in which services areprovided by union leaders and unilaterally received by union members. We need tomake sure that trade unions are a place where lively communication occurs on a daily
basis, a place where people are not “brought together” but, rather, “get together,” tomake sure that union officials have not become “alienated” from union members, andwe need to become self-reflective and to create trade unions that can be relied upon
and that the union members feel belongs to them.
This sense of ownership in which each individual is involved in “creating their own
union” is what is desperately needed today. Bringing members into the circle of union
activities through honest, open communication is the source of unions’ power. Let us
take the establishment of a RENGO Day (the 5th of every month) and the activities
carried out on RENGO Day as an opportunity for invigorating union activities and to
expand the circle of activity and the circle of trust.
3. A proactive attitude towards the future: empowering the group by
combining the strengths of each member
Society will not change if we do not take action ourselves. The low voter turnout inrecent elections lays bare the current crisis in democracy. Deepening workers’
awareness of issues, changing the pattern of thinking from “it’s my problem” to “it’sour problem,” and sharing the burden of social movements are important roles of thelabor movement.
Because workers are in an extremely vulnerable position as individuals, we need tojoin forces to create a strong movement capable of opposing social injustice. If
workers are concerned only with individual, disconnected advantages anddisadvantages, they cannot become a driving force for changing an already divided
society. Along with deepening labor-management relations at the industry andbusiness levels, it is also necessary to broaden the scope of social actions to include
the nature of policies, the economy, and society, which are the source of workers’
problems, worries, and dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, there is a political effort aimed at stoking conflict between regular andnon-regular workers, between public and private employees, and between young andmiddle-aged workers. RENGO must recognize anew the significance of presenting aunified front in the struggle over labor and must, under the banner of trade unionism
7presented in RENGO’s Way Forward, become a stronghold for activities aimed atensuring the happiness of all workers. Let us increase each union member’s sense ofownership, carry out thoughtful but bold discussion, and thereby clear the path to a“secure society based on work.”
Approaches when workers are

Approaches when solving problems

dissatisfied with working conditionsin the community

Watchfully wait
Ask boss
Form a trade union and act

Watchfully wait
Ask lawmakers or local governments
Start
officesa neighborhood movementwith others

Source: NHK “Consciousness of Japanese People”

What is a secure society based on work?
An energetic and participatory society in which the highest importance is attached to work, inwhich all individuals are able to participate in society through various ways of working under fairworking conditions, in which social and economic self-reliance is promoted through mutual
support, and in which there is a social safety net that allows members to strive for self-fulfillment.
These ideals were established by RENGO as a part of policy package in 2010.
RENGO has set a goal for achieving this “secure society based on work” in large part by the year
2020, and has been engaged in efforts to enact policies based on a comprehensive set of policies
and systems (i.e. “policy package”) to construct five “bridges of security” with the goal ofeliminating various difficulties related to work and connecting people with work.

8

OVERVIEW
Bringing All Workers into the Circle of “Strength and Policy”
1. Current state of the economy and society and the Role of RENGO(1) In this transition period, the foundation of workers’ livelihoods is being shaken
The Japanese government’s Annual Report on the Japanese Economy and Public
Finance 2015 expressed the view that “For the first time in a quarter century, signs ofhealthy economic conditions are being observed in a wide range of areas including
business activities and employment” and that “the economy has solidly entered avirtuous cycle.”
However, the restoration of the damaged employment and working conditions has
been put on the back burner and workers continue to face stark life circumstances. The
distribution of wealth to workers (total remuneration to employees) is more than 20
trillion JPY lower than in the period prior to the deflationary economy (in FY1998), theproportion of non-regular employment has increased substantially, and gap in income
and other measures is increasing. The economic growth observed in the second
quarter (April to June) has reversed direction. In terms of the behavior of companies,
while the trend towards prioritizing short-term profits continues to strengthen,“investments in people” has been neglected, and so-called sweatshop-type “black
companies” have become a social issue. With the advancement of economic
globalization, an increasing number of cases are observed in which corporate
restructuring or the actions of multinational enterprises have altered industrial
relations.
Amid such circumstances, the rules for protecting workers are being eroded further.
Furthermore, while taxes and social insurance premiums are increasing, functional
enhancement of the social security system stipulated in the Comprehensive Reform of
Tax and Social Security has been postponed. True recovery of Japan cannot be
achieved without eliminating insecurity regarding employment and the future andwithout “raising and supporting the minimum standard” and “correcting inequalities”
for our brothers and sisters working in SMEs, who account for 70% of employedworkers, and the approximately 20 million non-regular workers.
We must not forget that we are standing on the cusp of a major turning point. We
are faced with the task of making a paradigm shift to adapt to an array of structuralchanges including globalization, declining population, low-birth-rate-aging society, anddiversification of values. The preconditions for a so-called Japanese-style welfare
society that relies on family and companies have changed dramatically. The
perspectives of a gender equal society and a society that enables work-life balance9have gained importance. We are at a point where we need to re-examine whichelements of the socio-economic system created after the war should be kept and whichelements should be improved by classifying our challenges from a mid- to long-term
perspective in order to make a conscious decision about what kind of society we wantin the next age.
(2) It is essential that we create an axis for social opposition centered on people’s daily
lives
As a result of the general election in 2014, the ruling party gained more than two
thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives. Under a political system consistingof one strong party and many weak parties, in violation of the ILO’s principle oftripartism, important policies and guidelines related to work and daily life are decided
in a forum in which representatives of workers are not able to participate. The erosionof rules for protecting workers is an example of such decisions. The Basic Policy on
Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2015 sets forth a growth strategy that
relies on the general mobilization of people, things, and money for strengthening
Japan’s “earning ability” and that prioritizes economic growth even at the cost of
sacrificing of workers. Such thinking runs counter to the global trend of inclusive
growth, which seeks to balance economic growth with social stability andsustainability.
It is not at all clear what kind of society the Abe administration envisions at the endof such growth. The administration has failed to clarify its vision for the future and,instead, uses the mass media to create talking points for “today.” Its whole approach
begins and ends with the attitude that “politicians only need to get citizens to comply[with a policy], not to understand.” There is no indication of any desire to have a
dialogue with workers, who constitute an important segment of the citizenry, and tocreate a consensus. Furthermore, with regard to security bills, an issue that is
inextricably tied to the Japanese Constitution and fundamental policies, theadministration has ignored claims of constitutionalism and has insisted on taking aheavy-handed approach, coercively pushing bills through.
Meanwhile, the awareness of issues among workers is scattered, and it would be
difficult to say that there is a firm core for mounting social opposition. The problems
exemplified by the historically low voter turnout are deep-rooted and weighty. A
previous report by the RENGO Evaluation Committee pointed out the importance of“thinking for oneself and discussing with others about ‘where we are’ and ‘where wewill end up if we simply go with the flow’” and warned that “if we continue to let
ourselves be carried down this path, (i) it will be each worker for him- or herself, andworkers will only be able to think about their own problems; (ii) workers will only
10

consider ad hoc solutions to problems that are immediately in front of them; and (iii)
trade unions will become organizations run by a handful of activists, and activities will
stagnate.” We must face and overcome the massive challenges that tower before us
and create a core for social opposition.
(3) RENGO will do its utmost to cope with this crisis and create a groundswell of
support for social change.
First, we must do our utmost to deal with the crisis that stands before us.
It is particularly important at this point in time for workers to share a common
awareness of the problems and to create a movement that is broadly based in society.
As representatives of all workers, RENGO Headquarters, RENGO local organizations,and local councils must focus their efforts to an even greater extent on communicatingwith the public, participating in the policy-making process, and developing actions tocreate a groundswell of support for social change.
Furthermore, in order to correct the inconsistencies that have come to light in thepast several years, it is necessary to create a surge in political action. To this end as
well, shared awareness of issues must be expanded and deepened both within andoutside RENGO. We must do our utmost to address the various challenges that stand
before us.
(4) Clearing a path to a “secure society based on work” by supporting a movement for
all workers
In RENGO’s 2014-2015 Action Policy, top priority was given to strengthening
RENGO’s organizational foundation and improving RENGO’s capabilities as an activist
organization New possibilities are emerging through nation-wide implementation of
the “RENGO with 10 Million Members” project and the “Let us say ‘No’ to inequalities!”
campaign for a Better Living, the Spring Labor Offensive, and activities to promotedialogue between union leadership and members, etc. At the same time, we must ask
whether or not these efforts have reached each and every union member and whether
or not they have penetrated every corner of every workplace. We must also question
the extent to which we have managed to create shared awareness among fellow
workers in workplaces without unions and among the general public. Various
challenges remain.
Those responsible for carrying out RENGO activities include members of RENGO
Headquarters, affiliates, individual unions, RENGO local organizations, local councils
and all individuals who come together under RENGO’s banner. Powerful action can beundertaken only when each individual proactively fulfills their designated role. In
addition, the power to change society can be created by spreading awareness of11

RENGO activities among workers in workplaces without unions and, thereby, shaping
public opinion.
In addition to supporting their members, affiliates and individual unions must work
to broaden understanding of and participation in RENGO activities in their respective
workplaces. We must be creative and imaginative in adapting to changing
circumstances, while still standing on basic principles, and create a powerful
movement that clears the path to the next age.
2. Basic direction of actions in the next two-year period (2016-2017)
The next two years is designated to be a period for strengthening RENGO’sorganizational base as an activist organization and proactively disseminating RENGO’s
way of thinking while nurturing possibilities for action in order to realize a “securesociety based on work.”
Specifically, in addition to engaging in efforts to change the current course of society
by “raising and supporting minimum standards,” promoting “decent work” and “mutual
support and mutual aid,” RENGO will adopt a long-term perspective towards the future.
In addition, RENGO will make an effort to further improve its “ability to organize,”“ability to communicate,” “ability to create policy,” and its “ability to enact policy,” andto increase solidarity around RENGO actions. The RENGO movement will be advanced
in conjunction with various activities with the following serving as keystones of the
movement. Based on the principles presented here, energy and resources will befocused on essential actions and activities will be carried out together with affiliatedorganization and like-minded groups and individuals.
Concentrated efforts to realize a “secure society based on work”(1) Engaging in concentrated efforts that are open in terms of participation to realize
the goal of raising and supporting minimum standards—Let’s create a sustainable virtuous economic cycle, starting with the raising ofminimum living standards for workers—○ RENGO will work to expand the collective labor-management relationship, whichfunctions as a safety net for workers, to the society at large.
○ RENGO will expand the content of the 2014-2015 Spring Labor Offensives into
something with greater impact and put forth its utmost effort to raise andsupport the minimum standards and to correct inequalities for all workers.
○ RENGO will develop activities such as local forums and participation in local
development that are open to the community to promote the sharing of
problem awareness and the formation of networks with the goal of invigorating
local economies and raising minimum standards.
12

○ RENGO will work to ensure that reforms of the social security system are
implemented to make it an “all-generation support” system that covers all formsof work styles. RENGO will also work to change the vector of public policy from
one that enables the strong to get stronger and casts the weak by the wayside
to one that emphasizes correction of disparities through income redistribution
and equality of opportunities.
(2) Developing a campaign to reverse trends based on employers’ interest that steal
workers’ private time and erode the quality of employment—Ensuring decent work for all workers—○ RENGO will develop a Zero Deaths due to Overwork campaign to eliminate or
substantially reduce the amount of overtime work, with the goal of realizing asociety that enables work-life balance.
○ RENGO will work to create a gender equal society by reexamining work
arrangements that presume long working hours, eliminating stereotyped
perception for gender roles, and changing customary practices.
○ RENGO will work together with the international labor movement to develop
global rules for labor.
○ RENGO will draft and work towards enactment of a Basic Law on Employment(provisional) with the goal of realizing decent work for all workers.
(3) Joining forces with like-minded organization and individuals and acting on one’s
own to create a better society—Changing the tendency toward market-centricity and prioritization of short term
profits through mutual support and aid activities—○ RENGO will create a groundswell at the community level for realizing a “securesociety based on work” by strengthening implementation of the“community-based face-to-face movement.” To this end, RENGO will work to
identify the needs of workers and residents through consultations and bycooperation with local assembly members as well as like-minded organizations
and will address these needs in order to fulfill their role as an organization thatis relied upon by communities.
○ RENGO will work with Council of Worker Welfare Associations (Rofukukyo), theLabour Banks, and the National Federation of Workers and Consumers
Insurance Cooperatives to implement “mutual aid and support” activities.
○ RENGO will explore various means, such as the establishment of a Shuro

Sasaeai Kikin [Workers Mutual Aid Fund] (tentative name), to raise awarenessof the “mutual aid and support” activities and to provide opportunities for each13and every union member to participate.
(4) Identifying issues that the labor movement needs to tackle based on a long-term
perspective of Japan’s declining population and low-birth-rate, aging society.
○ RENGO will enlist the help of experts in various fields to study the potential
impact of Japan’s increasingly low-birth-rate aging society on various areas ofsociety. Based on this research, RENGO will develop short-, mid-, and long-termplans to deal with each of the issues identified.
Efforts to boost the power of the labor movement(1) Strengthening RENGO’s ability to organize○ RENGO will further accelerate efforts to achieve the goal of 10 million membersby 2020. In addition to asking affiliates and RENGO local organizations toestablish persons in charge of organizational expansion, RENGO will create
opportunities to expand membership as part of its overall activities. In addition,
the possibility of introducing new types of membership will be explored.
○ RENGO will implement measures to cultivate union leaders to take charge of thelabor movement and will carry out integrated action to inform RENGO membersof important issues discussed in RENGO meetings, etc.
○ RENGO, taking the opinions raised as part of overall efforts to promote dialogue
into consideration, will work to further energize activities for youth members
and increase the participation of youth members in RENGO activities.
○ RENGO will work to ensure that the government implements the 4th Basic Planfor Gender Equality.
○ RENGO will work to further development and entrench its campaign, “Let’s Start
with the Workplace”.
(2) Improving RENGO’s ability to communicate both internally and externally○ RENGO will improve its ability to communicate internally by further extending
the existing system for directly delivering information on issues being tackled by
RENGO as a whole from RENGO Headquarters to local organizations andchapters of affiliates.
○ RENGO will work to improve its ability to communicate externally by examining
how press conferences and panel discussions can be successful, developing
ways to utilize external reporting and mass media including the dissemination of
information from local organizations, and explore other means ofcommunication such as SNS and online publishing.
○ RENGO will develop strategies for further increasing participation in mass14

actions based on lessons from previous mass actions and rallies. RENGO will
also explore new methods such as “community organizing” (a method usedprimarily in the United States to coordinate participatory efforts by local
residents aimed at resolving problems in the community or social problems) inorder to identify new approaches that are suited to RENGO.
(3) Enhancing RENGO’s ability to create policy○ RENGO will work to cultivate individuals capable of designing policy.
○ RENGO will strengthen its network of experts in various fields.
○ RENGO will strengthen its cooperation with related organizations such as the
Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards (RENGO-RIALS), theJapan International Labour Foundation (JILAF), the Institute of Labor Education
and Culture, and the Japan Labour and Culture Foundation.
(4) Enhancing RENGO’s ability to enact policy○ RENGO will fully engage in political activity as part of its social responsibility as atrade union in order to realize a “secure society based on work,” which is thegoal of RENGO’s policy package for all workers.
○ RENGO will work to create an axis for social opposition from the standpoint of“citizens and workers” while striving to realize a two-party system in which thetension resulting from friendly competition between parties raises the level of
both.

15

Action Policy 1
Steady Progress in Expanding and Strengthening Organization to Realize
the Goal of “RENGO with 10 Million Members” and Reinforcing a Socially
Influential Labor Movement through Joint Action
Developing human resources and systems to implement and organize
action towards establishment of collective labor-management relationships
1. RENGO Headquarters, affiliates, and local organizations will put forth their utmost
effort and place their top priority on expansion of their respective organizations andstrengthening efforts to develop human resources and systems to, first, stop the
decline in unionization rates and to achieve RENGO with 10 Million Members withthe ultimate goal of establishing collective labor-management relationships in each
workplace as a means of eliminating disparities, discrimination, and poverty fromsociety.
(1) JTUC-RENGO will pursue the creation of a broad base of staff and members
capable of organizing activities, which is essential for achieving a RENGO with 10
Million Members. As well as holding regular “organizer workshops,” etc., RENGO
will provide opportunities for staff and members to interact and accumulateorganizing experience across industry and regional boundaries with the goal of
cultivating organizers at the top level of the organization capable of organizing
RENGO as a whole. In addition, RENGO Headquarters will begin reviewing possible
deployment of full-time staff responsible for organizational expansion to RENGO
local organizations and establishment of an advisory system in the future. Affiliates
will engage in efforts to cultivate and deploy full-time organizers and to strengthen
regional organizations. Affiliates and RENGO local organizations will focus theirefforts, in particular, on dealing with unfair labor practices through the use ofLabour Relations Commissions, etc. and on cultivating officials who will help
stabilize labor-management relations.
(2) RENGO Headquarters will develop and implement a strategy for organizing
non-unionized industries and industry sectors and nation-wide businesses andcarry out organizing activities in coordination with affiliates and RENGO localorganizations. Through such organizing efforts, solidarity between the RENGO’scentral union and regional unions, among regional unions, and between RENGO
and affiliates will be strengthened. Furthermore, in addition to augmenting efforts
to interact with and organize unorganized workers through labor consultations,16

RENGO Headquarters and RENGO local organizations will develop activities aimed
at outreach by encouraging affiliates to participate in labor consultations and by
developing connections with relevant agencies and organizations.
(3) Affiliates will redouble their efforts related to the “Let’s Start with the Workplace”
campaign and direct member unions to proactively engage in efforts to newly
organize non-regular workers, including part-time and fixed-term workers, withthe goal of organizing and improving the treatment of non-regular workers.
Affiliates will also work with member unions to promote union creation, including
non-unionized subsidiaries, associated companies, and trade partners as targets,and to organize non-unionized workers and companies in the same industry.
Cultivating union leaders to lead the labor movement and strengthening
the framework of individual organizations
2. RENGO Headquarters, affiliates and individual union, RENGO local organizations
and local councils will put forth their utmost effort to reinforce systems forcultivating leaders in each organization, which is the most urgent challenge foradvancing the RENGO movement, and, at the same time, will work to strengthensolidarity among the various organizations.
(1) RENGO Headquarters will begin reviewing and identifying areas for concentrated
action in the future and work to improve the organizing ability of RENGO as awhole through its support of efforts to overcome the various challenges faced byaffiliates.
(2) Affiliates will reinforce efforts to cultivate officials of member unions and branches
who support unions in the workplace and expand opportunities for training andinteraction among officials with the goal of cultivating the next generation of labor
movement leaders. According to the newly adopted “RENGO guidelines to promote
educational activities and labor education,” RENGO Headquarters will create new
training workshops targeting individuals responsible for designing, managing,
publicizing, providing instruction, and creating training materials for new training
programs, specifically in organizations that are not capable of carrying out
educational activities on their own. In addition, RENGO Headquarters will provide
lists of programs and instructors, share examples of successful programs, create asystem that allows those involved to cross-participate in various training programs,
and strengthen its support function.

17

(3) JTUC-RENGO will expand the scale/length of the Youth Forums that are held eachyear and hold a RENGO Youth Rally (every 5 years) and develop new activities toincrease opportunities for interaction among young people, with the ultimate goalof raising awareness of the RENGO movement among young union members (bothmale and female) and increasing participation in trade unions. With regard toissues that deeply affect young workers, the Youth Activity Committee within
RENGO Headquarters will examine and discuss such issues while taking theopinions expressed by new leaders through KNT47 into consideration and ensurethat the voices of young workers is reflected in the RENGO movement.
Furthermore, in addition to highlighting the activities of youth committees of
RENGO local organizations and youth organizations among affiliated organizations
as venues for human resource development and discovery of new talent, suchactivities will be carried with the goal of increasing participation by women.
(4) RENGO Headquarters will create a system for delivering all types of information tounion officials in individual unions and branches as a means of promoting further
penetration of the RENGO way of thinking within the organization itself. In addition,
RENGO Headquarters will reinforce the direct-delivery system, including email
magazine for delivering information on issues being tackled by RENGO as a wholefrom RENGO Headquarters to affiliates’ individual unions.
(5) RENGO Headquarters will continue its examination of important issues, which
includes dealing with affiliates that are not registered with RENGO localorganizations, creating a system for RENGO union members to participate in
RENGO local organization and local council activities in the locations in which theywork, updating (finalizing) lists of registered RENGO members, moving forwardwith the issues identified by the Third Committee for Examining Methods for
Securing Organization and Finances such as to how RENGO should enhance its
industrial function, dealing with affiliates with observer status, membership feesfor part-time workers along with the allocation of subsidies and funds forstrengthening local council fusing headquarter and RENGO local organization fees,
industry-specific informational meetings, and the possibility of new membershiptypes.
Further entrenching the “Face-to-face Movement Rooted in theCommunity”
3. In this era of increasing importance of local organizations in the RENGO movement,
RENGO Headquarters, RENGO local organizations, and local councils will18

demonstrate their leadership and create a system that will enable the organizations
to carry out unified action by not only working towards further entrenchment of the“face-to-face movement rooted in the community” but, also, by carrying out actions
to build communities and protect livelihoods.
(1) To enable RENGO local organizations and local councils to fulfill their roles at theirfull capacity, in addition to prioritizing local activities and creating an environment
conducive to such activities, RENGO Headquarters will decide on a list of activities
to be carried out by local councils. RENGO Headquarters will also explore creationof a new system to connect with non-unionized workers.
(2) In addition to strengthening their ties with RENGO Headquarters, RENGO localorganizations will clarify the division of roles between RENGO local organizations
and local councils and advance the RENGO movement in the region/community as
a whole. In addition RENGO Headquarters will increase efforts to create anenvironment in which affiliated organization and member unions can take part inlocal activities.
(3) Affiliates will increase efforts to create an environment in which local organizations
and member unions can participate in their local RENGO movements.
(4) As organizations that are the closest to the members of RENGO-affiliated unions
and local residents, local councils will implement and prioritize the “face-to-facemovement rooted in the community” through activities that link RENGO withlike-minded organizations or that support the local activities of organizations.
(5) Because the creation of a foundation for mutually support and aid for lives andlivelihoods in communities is one of the RENGO’s most important goals, in addition
to further deepening its associations with the Council of Worker Welfare
Associations (Rofukukyo), Labour Banks, and the National Federation of Workers
and Consumers Insurance Cooperatives, RENGO will work to establish connections
with cooperative associations, NPOs, and retired workers and to create activities
that are trusted by the community.
Publicizing the activities and existence of RENGO and trade unions andlabor education
4. Given the importance of raising the social value of trade unions, in addition toefforts to obtain the trust of union members, JUTC-RENGO will engage in efforts to19

deepen the general public’s understanding of trade unions.
(1) Strengthening ties with employers’ associations and industry organizations, RENGO
will work to promote understanding and penetration of the “labor-management
relations based on mutual trust” sought by RENGO and reinforce efforts to expand
understanding among the general public regarding the importance of collective
labor-management relations. In addition, efforts will be made to more effectively
utilize the list of RENGO member unions to widely publicize the existence of
RENGO and its numerous member unions.
(2) As means to promote labor education in society at large in accordance with the
newly adopted “RENGO guidelines to promote educational activities and labor
education,” RENGO Headquarters will explore the possibility of promoting theestablishment of a work rule certification exam, promoting the establishment oflectureships supported by donations from RENGO, and developing educational
materials and learning tools geared towards elementary and middle-school
students.
(3) As part of an effort to strengthen its ability to disseminate information to society atlarge through the internet, RENGO will explore the possibility of using new media(opinion magazine, web magazine, etc.) to publicize RENGO’s ideology andactivities to a wide audience. In addition to updating its webpage, creating a
RENGO digest/newspaper, and utilizing Facebook and Twitter, an effort will bemade to improve the communication ability of RENGO as a whole by promoting theuse of SNS to communicate with affiliates and RENGO local organizations.
(4) RENGO Headquarters will explore implementation schemes and develop concrete
activities for putting “mutual support and aid” into practice, in order to raiseawareness of the social value of the RENGO movement by getting each and every
RENGO member to participate in “mutual support and aid” activities and to elevatethe presence of RENGO for all workers and communities. In addition, efforts will bemade to connect with the Japanese Confederation of Retired Persons and toencourage retirees and pensioners to participate in the RENGO movement and tointeract with RENGO.
Promotion of the peace movement
5. RENGO will engage in efforts together with relevant organizations to promote world
peace by (1) calling for consolidation and reduction of US military bases in Japan20

and fundamental re-examination of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, (2)calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and realization of support measures foratomic bomb victims based on state reparations, and (3) working towards
resolution of territorial issues including the movement calling for the return of theNorthern Territories. RENGO will continue discussing security-related issues
including the nature of US military bases in Japan.
6. The NPT Review Conference (of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons) held in April and May of 2015 ended without adoption of a final
statement. In addition to calling on the government of Japan, as the only country tohave been a victim of nuclear bombing, to exert diplomatic effort to develop
agreement by 2020 on the abolition of nuclear weapons, RENGO will reinforce its
integrated efforts with the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin)and the National Council for Peace Against Nuclear Weapons (KAKKIN), and workwith the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Mayors for Peace toexpand the list of signatories to the NPT and to propel a joint movement by thegovernment and people.
Enhancement of human rights and solidarity activities
7. RENGO will host informational meetings and engage in various actions together
with the Unified Central Congress for Buraku Liberation with the goal of adoption of
the Human Rights Abuse Remedies Act (provisional title). Regarding the eliminationof employment discrimination, RENGO will work together with affiliates and RENGO
local organizations to provide guidance to employers through individual
enterprise-based union. In addition, RENGO will conduct a survey to get a handle
on the state of employment selection. Concerning the abduction of Japanesepersons by North Korea, RENGO will cooperate with relevant organization to call forthe prompt liberation of kidnapping victims and the extradition of those responsible
and work to raise public aware of the issue through informational meetings, etc.
8. RENGO will continue efforts to ensure that support activities related to the RENGOHeartfelt Fund are implemented effectively. In addition, as a follow up to projects
carried out by NGOs and NPOs, RENGO will conduct field surveys and work tostrengthen its ties to affiliates and RENGO local organizations.
9. RENGO will join forces and collaborate with like-minded organizations and groups
such as the Council of Worker Welfare Associations (Rofukukyo), Labour Banks,and ZENROSAI to achieve policies and schemes advocated by RENGO, and21

especially those affecting all Japanese citizens, by encouraging and proactively
engaging in social movements.
10. RENGO Headquarters and RENGO-Tokyo will jointly begin exploring schemes forcooperation for realizing a mutually beneficial society in which everyone is able toparticipate ahead of the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics scheduled to be held in 2020.
Efforts to support areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake
11. Based on a system for regular communication between RENGO and RENGO localorganizations in disaster-affected areas, RENGO will develop activities aimed at thereconstruction and revitalization of areas affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake in which affiliates and RENGO local organizations can participate on acontinual basis.
Countermeasures against natural disaster12. RENGO will increase efforts to ensure that RENGO local organizations form
networks with community action groups and local volunteer groups in order to beable to resume operations as an organization immediately following a natural
disaster.

22

ACTION POLICY 2
Supporting and Promoting Participation
Non-unionized Workers, and Young Workers

byNon-regular

Workers,

Further developing the “Let’s Start with the Workplace” campaign
1. RENGO will further develop and entrench the “Let’s Start with the Workplace”
campaign in order to unionize and improve treatment of non-regular workers inboth the private and public sectors.
(1) RENGO Headquarters will collect accounts of actions and encourage the sharing
and dissemination of successful examples by providing opportunities for members
to exchange experiences and by publishing a collection of case studies, etc.
(2) Affiliates will encourage member trade unions to gather information regarding thecurrent status of directly and indirectly employed non-regular workers, create
opportunities to interact with non-regular workers, and engage in efforts toorganize, encourage participation by, and improve the working conditions of
non-regular workers.
(3) RENGO local organizations will establish Centers for Non-regular Workers to gather
information about the current status of non-regular workers and will develop
various activities such as informational meetings and exchange meetings related to
non-regular workers.
Strengthening the foundation for “Anything Labor Phone Consultation
Service” in communities
2. RENGO Headquarters will effectively publicize and work to create anenvironment/scheme in which the “Anything Labor Phone Consultation Service” isperceived and utilized as a familiar source of support for non-regular andnon-unionized workers.
(1) In addition to collecting, analyzing, and publishing examples of consultations,planning and advertising mass-consultation events, and improve the aggregation
system, RENGO Headquarters will propose policies and mount campaigns asneeded based on the specific circumstances of individual workplaces.
(2) To improve the consultation function of RENGO local organizations, RENGO
23

Headquarters will encourage daily exchange of information and hold informationalsessions as needed.
(3) RENGO local organizations and local councils will engage in labor consultation
activities with the goal of increasing their organizing ability by encouraging
affiliates to participate in mass-consultation events and developing ties with
relevant, local organizations.
Promoting efforts to improve the hiring and working environment of young
people3. To support the job-seeking activities and hiring of university students and to work
towards improvement of working conditions for young workers, RENGO will engage
in efforts to educate young people about the value of work, the rules of work, andthe role of trade unions and will also create opportunities to hear the voices ofyoung people.
4. RENGO Headquarters will compile accounts of support for young people provided
by affiliates and RENGO local organizations, and develop schemes for sharing
successful examples.
Disseminating information, raising public awareness, and creating
networks to deal with problems associated with non-regular employment
5. To raise public awareness of problems associated with non-regular employment
and the hiring and working conditions of young workers, RENGO will work withvarious organizations, including those that are not union-related, to disseminate
information and conducted surveys.
6. RENGOwill

continuetoexploretheappropriate

labor-management relations for non-regular workers.

24

formatforcollective

ACTION POLICY 3
Developing Policies and Systems Aimed at Creating a Secure Society Basedon Work
Strengthening efforts to realize policies advocated by RENGO
1. While incorporating policies aimed at realizing a “secure society based on work”
sequentially in “demands and recommendations” and “priority policy” sections of
RENGO’s policy package, RENGO will pursue realization of these policies by callingon the central government, local governments, and political parties to take action.
In addition, RENGO will promote the penetration of RENGO’s ideology in society atlarge by advancing social movement through dialogue and joint action with variousorganizations including the Japanese Confederation of Retired Persons and labor
welfare organizations, and NPOs.
2. Every year, RENGO identifies “priority areas” and publishes “guidelines for efforts torealize policies and systems” with respect to regular and special sessions of the Dietand carry out activities toward the realization of policies advocated by RENGO.
3. In order to improve its ability to formulate policy, RENGO will strengthen efforts tocultivate individuals capable of creating policy as well as its network of experts invarious fields.
Continuing efforts aimed at reconstruction and revitalization after theGreat East Japan Earthquake
4. Even in 2016 and beyond, RENGO will continue to call on the government toprovide steadfast state backing for full-fledged reconstruction and recovery fromthe Great East Japan Earthquake, including personnel support for local
governments in disaster-affected areas, continued support for employment andindustry, support to secure nurses and caregivers, and support for reinforcing the
education environment.
5. RENGO will call on the government to act steadfastly and promptly to bring aconclusion to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster and clean up theradioactive materials released by the accident, ensure food safety and alleviate
fears regarding food safety, and to prevent damage to certain regions andindustries resulting from negative public opinion related to the nuclear disaster.

25

6. RENGO will work with RENGO local organizations in disaster-affected areas togather information through field surveys and interviews regarding actual
circumstances on the ground and call on the central and local governments to
respond to the needs that are identified.
Promoting sustainable and healthy economic growth
7. RENGO will assemble approaches for promoting economic/industrial policy andemployment policy in an integrated manner, such as concentrating policies in areasthat are expected to have a substantial impact on employment growth or focusing
on policies for developing human resources and securing decent work in highgrowth areas.
8. With respect to negotiations regarding the TPP and other trade agreements,
RENGO will coordinate with the ITUC and trade unions in negotiating countries andcall on the Japanese government to conduct appropriate negotiations with regard
to issues related to labor, environment, safety and security. In addition, RENGO willcall on the government to provide the public with appropriate information and towork conscientiously to build a consensus among the people.
9. RENGO will engage in efforts to encourage businesses to create and holdlabor-management discussion regarding internal regulations for dealing with
employee inventions.
Efforts related to community revitalization and rural development
10. With regard to activities related to the Vitalization of Towns, People, and Jobs (ruraldevelopment), RENGO will participate, as a general rule, in the implementing
organizations established by local governments, and work to realize policies
advocated by RENGO and to advance the “face-to-face movement rooted in thecommunity.” To do so, RENGO local organizations, local councils, affiliates, andRENGO Headquarters must work closely together and perform their respectiveroles to the fullest.
Realizing RENGO’s energy policies and promoting countermeasures toglobal warming
11. Taking the securing of alternatives to nuclear energy and proactive promotion ofrenewable energy sources and energy conservation as a given, RENGO will work to
reduce dependence on nuclear energy in the mid to long terms, with the ultimate
goal of creating a society that does not depend on nuclear energy.
2612. RENGO will work diligently to ensure that the Japanese government supports therealization of a “new fair and effective framework for dealing with climate change inwhich all signatory nations participate” that will come into effect in 2020 and that
the Japanese government argues for inclusion of the idea of “just transition” tominimize the negative effects of climate change countermeasures on employment
in the final document adopted by the UN.
13. Based on the understanding and cooperation of the Japanese people, RENGO will
work to promote productive social dialogue in order to reduce domestic
greenhouses gas emissions while balancing environmental protection andeconomic growth and call on the government to strengthen and promote measures
to reduce emission in the civilian and other sectors.
14. RENGO will continue and augment its RENGO Eco-life 21 campaign. In addition,
RENGO will strengthen its international ties and publicize actions by trade unions
related to global environmental issues.
Campaigning for tax reform based on “fairness, solidarity, and agreement”
15. RENGO will work to strengthen the income redistribution function of the tax system,with the ultimate goal of promoting comprehensive reform of social security andtaxation. RENGO will work towards introduction of tax credit combined with abenefit payout for low-income earners given the continued administration of a flatsales tax.
16. In addition to improving the public’s understanding of taxes and raising taxpayers’
awareness by hosting forums on the tax system and utilizing the RENGO website,RENGO will continue to provide assistance in filing income tax returns/returns forrefunds.
17. RENGO will urge the government to take steps to allay the public’s concerns
regarding the My Number system including those related to the strict protection of
personal information and will call on the government to correct unfairness in the
tax system and to reform the system to ensure that social security benefits arereliably paid out.
18. RENGO will review and verify the “fundamental principles of the third tax reform.”

27

Realizing a social security system that supports all generations
19. RENGO will engage in efforts to promote transformation of the social security
system into one that supports all generations and to reinforce the foundation of thesocial security system. In particular, RENGO will work to promote coverage by social
insurance by further expanding eligibility to part-time workers and eliminating
business offices that are not covered. In addition, RENGO will call on thegovernment to implement measures to prevent companies from evading their
obligation to cover employees.
20. RENGO will engage in efforts to improve treatment of medical, welfare, and care
workers by ensuring broader application of the system for care degree-adjustedcompensation for care workers and establishing limits on night shift work by nurses.
RENGO will also work toward securing funding sources for a new child andchildcare support system and improving the treatment of childcare workers, etc.
21. In addition to working towards the creation of an efficient health care system, withthe ultimate goal of establishment of a community-based comprehensive caresystem, RENGO will continue its campaign to “check your medical treatment byreviewing your detailed medical receipt.” With regard to the medical insurance
system, RENGO will call for fundamental reexamination of the health care system
for the elderly.
22. RENGO will undertake a review of the governance structure of (Japan’s)
Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).
23. RENGO will call for establishment of an implementation scheme for the
Self-reliance Support System for the Poor and strengthening of measures forsupporting needy children. In addition, RENGO will urge the government not toraise the requirements for receiving livelihood protection (i.e. public assistance).
24. RENGO will work to ensure that the Disability Discrimination Act and other related
laws are effectively implemented. RENGO will engage in efforts to create systems
and environments in which individuals caring for children or persons withdisabilities can continue working.
25. RENGO will review and verify the RENGO Vision for Social Security in the 21 st
Century.

28

Working towards creation of a fair and sustainable society
26. In order to promote the establishment of a basic law and ordinances on public
contracts, RENGO will call on the central government, local governments, andpolitical parties, exchange opinions with employers’ organizations, reinforce thesharing of issues and information with RENGO affiliates and local organizations,and instruct local organizations to host informational sessions on the issue withmembers of the Diet in attendance.
27. RENGO will call on companies to work with stakeholders other than shareholders,to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, and to further
develop corporate social responsibility (CSR). RENGO will also work to expand anddeepen understanding of the corporate governance code among affiliates andenterprise-based unions and work to strengthen the check function throughlabor-management consultations, etc.
28. RENGO will work to promote responsible investment of workers’ capital in the formof corporate pension funds, etc.
Continuing

efforts

torealizedemocratic

civil

servicereformanddecentralization of administrative power
29. RENGO will call on the central and local governments to enact democratic civil
service reform in a manner that protects labor rights, to implement measures toimprove the treatment of temporary and part-time civil government workers, andto take steps to advance decentralization of administrative power.
Ensuring safe and secure food and good quality life, improving the social
infrastructure
30. RENGO will urge the central and local governments to enact measures to secureand cultivate human resources engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, tostrengthen the financial base and competitiveness of these sectors, to promote
sixth-order industrialization, to strengthen the multiple functions of agricultural andforest areas, to expand the consumption and use of domestic food and wood
products, and to improve Japan’s self-sufficiency.
31. RENGO will call on the central and local governments to strengthen policies aimed
at protecting consumers by implementing an appropriate and easily-understood
food labeling system, expanding and effectively using the consumer consultation
system, and providing opportunities for consumer education.
2932. With respect to extending the service life of and counteracting deterioration of theexisting social infrastructure, RENGO will call on the central government toimplement labor-saving measures such as automated infrastructure inspections
and to identify funding sources for local governments.
33. With respect to social capital related to disaster prevention, livelihoods, safety,
transportation, sightseeing, etc., RENGO will call on the central government toimplement public-works projects based on the specific circumstances of a given
region.
34. With respect to the basic plan for transportation policies, RENGO will call on thecentral government to ensure transparency/visibility and perform a “follow-up” ofprojects that are carried out, and to provide advice to local governments during theplan development stage.
35. RENGO will call on the central and local governments to reform water-related laws
and to develop plans and regulations for water use based on the Basic Act on the
Water Cycle.
Strengthening disaster prevention and disaster reduction measures
36. RENGO will call on the central and local governments to increase the disasterprevention capability of the country as a whole, to strengthen countermeasures forindividuals who are most vulnerable in disasters, to cultivate and secure essential
disaster prevention and disaster reduction personnel, to strengthen educational
efforts to raise the public’s disaster awareness, and to prepare and inspect hazard
maps that account for all types of disasters.
Reducing disparities and ensuring equality of opportunity in education,
promoting labor education and citizenship education
37. To break the “cycle of poverty,” RENGO will call on the central government toprovide free early childhood education and to expand the scholarship system forhigher education to ensure that disparities in household financial circumstances do
not result in disparities in education.
38. To deepen and effectively utilize knowledge related to work rules that arenecessary when one works, RENGO will engage in efforts to ensure that these work
rules are included in an effective manner in the government’s curriculum guidelines30

and that labor education is formalized into a curriculum.
39. RENGO will work to ensure that citizenship education related politics andenfranchisement (the right to vote) is incorporated into school education as ameans of instilling the basic knowledge and awareness needed to function as anindependent, full-fledged member of society.

31

ACTION POLICY 4
Raising and Promoting Horizontal Expansion of Minimum Working
Conditions, Realizing Decent Work
Linking job creation to industrial policy and improving safety net
1. In order to foster new industries and promote the creation of high-quality jobs,
RENGO will call on the government to enact employment policies linked toindustrial policies and campaign to improve safety nets.
(1) In order to promote decent work, RENGO will continue to explore ways toimplement RENGO’s vision regarding employment and work, including forms of
employment, worker treatment, and capacity development, compile these into apolicy package (Basic Act on Employment (provisional title)), and work towards
realization of RENGO’s vision.
(2) In addition to strengthening job creation measures linked to industrial policy,
RENGO will promote “integrated implementation” of job seeking support andlivelihood support in coordination with the central and local governments and callon labor and management to participate in the operation of such support schemes.
(3) RENGO will call for review of the unemployment insurance system, which is theprimary safety net with the goal of more effectively utilizing and augmenting thesystem. With regard to the secondary safety net, the support system for job
seekers, which is in its fourth year since establishment, RENGO will call on thegovernment to review the system after gathering information regarding its current
state of implementation.
(4) RENGO will engage in efforts to create an employment maintenance system, etc.
financed through the government’s general budget as a means of dealing with
employment issues resulting from circumstances such as natural disasters or
evacuation orders from the central government that cannot be handled within the
traditional unemployment insurance framework.
Raising and supporting wages and working conditions, promoting
horizontal expansion of working conditions
2. Through the annual Spring Labor Offensive, RENGO will strive to raise and support
minimum working conditions for all workers and to eliminate disparities and32

promote equal treatment of companies of different scales, different types of
employment, and men and women. To this end, in addition to establishing a
multi-layered system for joint-struggle in collaboration with RENGO affiliates andlocal organizations, RENGO will promote horizontal expansion of working conditions
through effective internal and external dissemination of information.
3. RENGO will strengthen joint struggles on behalf of workers in small- andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and non-regular workers to eliminate disparities,
raise minimum standards, and improve treatment.
(1) While considering the need to cultivate and secure necessary human resources in
SMEs, RENGO will campaign to correct disparities and prevent bipolarization
primarily by improving working conditions.
(2) RENGO will strengthen joint struggles to realize improvements in treatment of
non-regular workers. To achieve this goal, even more proactive participation by all
affiliates is needed. RENGO will commit to more effective exchanges of informationand opinions among leaders of the joint struggle for non-regular workers. In
addition RENGO will work on improving and expanding local initiatives.
(3) RENGO will host a forum to ensure that the Spring Labor Offensive is executed in amanner that is open to all members of society.
4. With the goal of realizing a society which guarantees work-life balance, RENGO will
engage in efforts to reform “the way we work” and “the way we rest” throughlabor-management consultations and call for the reduction of working hours andgreater utilization of paid vacation days. For this reason, RENGO will work out aposition regarding working hours and wages, etc., and review Guideline forComprehensive Improvement of Working Conditions (provisional title) aimed atrealization of a “secure society based on work.”
5. RENGO will enhance its efforts to raise minimum wages to the level of a living
wage.
(1) RENGO will strive to raise minimum wages by encouraging companies to conclude
in-house minimum wage agreements with their workers and by working to raise
pay levels.

33

(2) RENGO will strive to significantly increase legal minimum wages in respective
locations to levels can effectively serve effectively as a safety-net.
(3) With regard to legally defined special (industry-specific) minimum wages, JTUC will
endeavor to raise minimum wages through the initiative of labor and managementin the industry in question to a level that can correct disparities and will strive toestablish new special minimum wages in industries/sectors in which such wage
standards did not previously exist.
Promoting appropriate business transactions
6. To improve the working conditions of workers in SMEs, RENGO will call on
employers’ associations and relevant agencies to reform business-to-business
transactions based on the results of the Survey on Business Relations in SMEs thatwill be conducted in 2015.
7. In order to promote fair trade on a global scale and decent work for all workers inthe supply chain, RENGO will gather information, including information on
circumstances overseas, and use this information to resolve transaction-related
issues in Japan and improve working conditions.
Establishing work rules with the goal of realizing decent work
8. In addition to joining together with affiliates and RENGO local organizations toprevent the erosion of rules to protect workers and to oppose the government’s
stance of relaxing regulations regarding the dismissal of workers and working hours
and otherwise setting back worker protections, RENGO will participate in Labour
Policy Council deliberations to ensure that further erosion of worker protections
does not occur.
9. RENGO will mount a “From Agreement to Law” campaign. The campaign willencourage each affiliate to set a maximum number of overtime hours per year withrespect to companies with Article 36 agreements with a special provision (max. 750
hours, with the goal of lowering this to as close to 360 hours possible), introducing
standards for minimum time between shifts (as a rule, 11 hours), and efforts topromote the conclusion of labor-management agreements and labor collective
agreements to redress long working hours.
10. As a trade union, RENGO will play an active role in addressing the issue of karoshi[death from overwork] and so-called black companies (sweatshop-type companies)
34

by carrying out a Karoshi Zero campaign to “prevent the occurrence of death orillness from overwork in one’s own workplace” and a “Rest Well, Work Well!”campaign to encourage workers to proactively use annual paid vacations. In
addition, RENGO will work to increase the efficacy of and strengthen laboradministration by calling on the central government to increase the number of labor
inspectors and by urging local governments to strengthen the function of local
labor administrations.
11. RENGO will work to legislate the principle of equal treatment of workers regardlessof employment arrangement (fixed-term, part-time, dispatched, or contract).
12. With regard to the Worker Dispatching Act, in addition to gathering and analyzing
information regarding trends in the employment and treatment of dispatchedworkers based on surveys of dispatched workers and trade unions in receiving
companies, with the view of organizing dispatched workers, RENGO will, from thestandpoint of worker protection, commit to revision of the Act to guarantee stable
employment and fair treatment for dispatched workers.
13. With regard to the Labor Standards Act, in addition to gathering and analyzing
information on the actual state of working hours, etc., RENGO will strive to enact
legal reform with the goal of reducing long working hours and promoting work-lifebalance.
(1) RENGO will work to elevate the status of the notification on “limits for overtime
work” to a law and will engage in efforts to codify maximum limits for overtime
when companies conclude Article 36 agreements with workers. In addition,
RENGO will work to expand application of Article 36 to enterprises and businesses
that are currently exempt.
(2) RENGO will work to introduce a “minimum rest period between shifts” for all
workers.
14. RENGO will verify the current state of countermeasures implemented by thegovernment to prevent karoshi [death from overwork] based on the Law on the
Promotion of Countermeasure to Prevent Death from Overwork and will call on thegovernment to implement more effective measures.
15. With regard to the Labour Contract Act, RENGO will strive to enact legal reform to35

resolve problems related to the withdrawal of unofficial job offers and protection of
fixed-term contract workers. As for the conversion of fixed-term contracts toindefinite contracts, in addition to working throughout the year to enact legal
reform to shorten the length of employment required for conversion to an indefinite
contract from five years, RENGO will endeavor to raise awareness regarding
content of the Labour Contract Act to prevent workers from being dismissed justprior to conversion to indefinite contracts., Furthermore, RENGO will work toensure that the employment of individuals covered by the Act on Special Measures
Concerning Fixed-term Employees with Expert Knowledge is managed
appropriately.
16. RENGO will work to codify the protection of workers’ rights with regard tosuccession of employment contracts, maintenance of employment and working
conditions, and obligating consultation with trade unions in the event that abusiness is transferred or split as a result of corporate restructuring.
17. RENGO will explore legal measures to ensure all workers receive their pension after
retirement without a delay, even in the case of fixed-term workers who are notcovered by the employment guarantee measures stipulated by the Act on the
Stability of Employment of the Elderly Persons.
18. In addition to working to adjust the majority representative system by enforcing
stricter selection of representatives of the majority with the goal of building
collective labor-management relations, RENGO will explore the possibility ofcodifying the worker representative system into law.
Reconstruction after the earthquake disaster and responding to the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident
19. RENGO will call on the government to eliminate mismatches in employment indisaster-affected areas. It will also call for promotion of job creation measures andoccupational development that are linked to industrial policy and that will support
the regions in question into the future.
20. The decommissioning of the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant is estimated to take 30
to 40 years and will require a broad range of workers from engineers to workers on
the ground. RENGO will press the government to enact measures for securing
workers in the medium and long terms while strengthening protection of safety andhealth of workers in terms of managing dose exposure, etc.
36

Strengthening measures related to occupational safety and health
21. RENGO will continue to engage in efforts, including expanding the scope of theStress Check System, which is scheduled to begin in December of 2015, and theChemical Substances Risk Assessment, which will be launched in June of 2016,
based on the “RENGO actions related to the ‘Revised Industrial Safety and HealthAct’.”
22. Towards successful implementation of the 12th industrial accident prevention plan,
which will end in 2017, RENGO will enhance efforts to prevent industrial accidents
by encouraging affiliates to report accurate information on their industrial accidents
to RENGO Headquarters.
Strengthening measure for young people, persons with disabilities, andforeign workers
23. With the enforcement of Employment Strategy for Young People in October 2015,
in addition to calling for proactive dissemination of job-related information to
enable young people to choose appropriate occupations and providing job-seeking
support for unemployed young people, RENGO will, through workplace inspections,ensure work environments in which young people can continue working.
24. RENGO will work to promote the employment of persons with disabilities, including
persons with mental disabilities, based on RENGO principles and enactment of the
Law to Promote Employment of Persons with Disabilities, and will work to realize
workplaces that comply with provisions in the Law obligating reasonableaccommodation.
25. RENGO will call on the government to adjust the Foreign Technical Intern Training
Program so that is managed in accordance with the program’s main objective,
which is to provide international assistance to developing countries.
26. With regard to foreign workers, RENGO will urge the government not to relax
eligibility requirements and to easily provide residential status and work
qualification to foreign workers.
Promoting human resource development and capacity building
27. RENGO will establish a Research Group on Human Resource Development for
Increasing Japanese Competitiveness and will synthesize its thinking on the37cultivation and skill development of workers, who are the source of Japan’s
industrial competitiveness.
28. With regard to formulation of the 10th Basic Plan for Human Resource Development
for the period of 2016 to 2020, RENGO will call on the government to formulate aplan after evaluating the policies of “aggressive” and “defensive” human resource
development proposed in the 9th Basic Plan for Human Resource Development.
29. With regard to vocational capacity development promoted by the Japanese
government, RENGO will request the government to provide comprehensive careerdevelopment support in the form of support for expansion of internal training bycompanies, which is jointly planned by companies, industrial organizations, andtrade unions and in the form of increased public occupational training opportunities
as part of the employment safety net.
Improving the labor dispute resolution system
30. Given that the labor tribunal system is entering the 10th year since it wasestablished, in addition to calling for improvement of the system based on theevaluation of actual circumstances and requests of labor tribunal members
endorsed by RENGO, RENGO will call for review of the division of roles andfunctions of each system related to the settlement of individual labor disputes.
31. RENGO will engage in various efforts to promote use of and to invigorate Labour
Relations Commission, including reviewing their structure/function.
32. RENGO will work with RENGO local organizations to expand the function of local
labor administrations (provide labor education to workers) with the goal ofstrengthening education regarding labor (law) and protecting the rights of workers.
Responding to revision of the Civil Code (law of obligations)
33. RENGO will examine the impacts of the Civil Code revision on labor and work toensure that worker protections are not eroded.

38

ACTION POLICY 5
Strengthening Efforts to Realize a Gender-Equal Society
Promoting equal participation by women and men in all areas
1. By carrying out its 4th Action Plan for Gender Equality (October, 2013 to September,2020), RENGO will create a society in which women and men are treated as equals,
in which the rights of women and men are respected, and in which women andmen participate equally and share duties and responsibility equally.
(1) RENGO will work to achieve the “three goals” (realization of decent work andopportunities for women to fulfill their abilities, work-life balance, and inclusion
and revitalization of a diverse working population).
(2) The target is for 100% of organizations to have elected female officers by 2017. In
addition, RENGO will work towards introduction of the quota system as a means of
ensuring that more female officials are selected, with the goal for 30% of RENGO
officials and members in organizational meetings to be women by 2020.
(3) RENGO will oversee the progress and provide follow-up support through theCommittee for Promoting Gender Equality and enhance the structure of the Project
Team to Promote the 4th Action Plan for Gender Equality with the overall goal of
helping each organization to reach its targets.
2. In addition to ensuring implementation of the 3rd Basic Plan for a Gender Equal
Society and the 4th Basic Plan for a Gender Equal Society (provisional title) based on
the Basic Law for a Gender Equal Society, RENGO will proactively call for resolutionof issues identified by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women and prompt ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Conventionof the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
3. RENGO will review social systems and customary practices from the standpoint ofgender equality.
(1) RENGO will consider the introduction of an optional system for husbands and wives
to retain separate family names, unification of the age of consent for marriage formen and women, elimination of the prohibition on remarriage for a fixed period,
which applies only to women, and re-examination of the inheritance law from the39

standpoint of gender equality, with the ultimate goal of revising the Civil Coderelated primarily to family law.
(2) RENGO will work to eliminate commodification of sex that desecrates human rights
and all manner of violence against women and engage in efforts to spreadawareness regarding these issues to all parts of society by promoting awarenesseducation and disseminating information.
(3) RENGO will work towards realization of proactive participation by women in politics
by calling on the political parties to take affirmative action including the
introduction of the quota system.
(4) RENGO will work to remove disincentives to work from the tax and social security
systems and to reform these system be neutral in terms of gender or lifestyle.
(5) To promote participation by women in the planning of earthquake reconstruction
policy and disaster prevention policy, RENGO will engage in activities based on“guidelines for disaster prevention and reconstruction planning from thestandpoint of equal participation by women.”
Realizing gender equality in employment, expanding support for work-lifebalance, and achieving equal treatment
4. RENGO will work to create a social environment in which work-life balance ispossible for both working men and women. RENGO will place priority on having its
views reflected in meetings of the Labour Policy Council and the Diet towards theultimate goal of reforming of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act. In particular,
RENGO will work for reform of policies targeting non-regular workers.
5. In addition to working for expansion of support systems to enable workers tobalance work and pregnancy/childbirth, work and child care/family care, RENGO
will engage in efforts to eliminate maternity harassment in the workplace and toensure complete prohibition of prejudicial treatment.
6. To ensure that women further participate and work at their fullest capacity insociety and economy, RENGO will proactively work to encourage companies toadopt affirmative action policies targeting all women, including non-regular
workers, through the use of the Act to Advance Women’s Success in their Working
Life.
40

7. In addition to conducting workplace surveys to assess the state of differential
tracking into career-track positions (sogoshoku) and general office positions(ippanshoku) by gender, sexual harassment, and speech and conduct based on amindset of gender-based division of labor, based on results of these surveys,
RENGO will work to enact reform of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
8. RENGO will work to rectify wage gaps between women and men by employing thewage plot method to analyze the causes of such disparities and make thesedisparities “visible.” In addition, RENGO will work to abolish the “head-of-household
requirement” for receiving a living allowance, which constitutes indirectdiscrimination.
9. RENGO will work to raise awareness and promote application of the following laws
in the workplace: the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act, the Act to Advance
Women’s Success in their Working Life, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, thePart-Time Workers Act, the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising
Next-Generation Children, and provisions for protecting women in the Labour
Standards Act.
Cultivating female union leaders, and campaigns inside and outside RENGO
10. To cultivate female union activists, female leaders, and young male leaders, RENGO
will encourage women to share challenges and take initiative through the Central
Rally for Women and training courses for female leaders.
11. RENGO will work toward resolving gender disparities and issues such as the need to
re-examine work patterns that are common to both men and women through local
bloc meetings for women.
12. In order to raise awareness regarding gender equality issues, RENGO will designate
June to be a “month of gender equality,” during which various campaigns will be
waged targeting audiences within and outside RENGO.
Promoting international solidarity activities and partnerships with variousorganizations in Japan
13. RENGO will cooperate with and participate in gender equality-related activities of
the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the ITUC-Asia Pacific’s
Women’s Committee as well as other campaigns to promote gender-equality such41

as the International Women’s Day (March 8, 2015), the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25, 2015), the Count Us In!
campaign to promote women’s participation in trade unions, and the 12 by 12
Campaign*1 aimed at promoting ratification of ILO Convention 189.
14. RENGO will pay close attention and act in accordance with developments inrelevant international organizations, including CEDAW, the Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW), the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application ofConventions and Recommendations, and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to
the OECD (TUAC).
15. RENGO will interact and cooperate with NGOs, NPOs, and other women’s’organizations with goals that are consistent those of RENGO.

*1“12 by 12” is a campaign whose initial goal was to get 12 countries to ratify ILO
Convention 189 (Domestic Workers Convention) by 2012 to ensure its prompt entry
into force. At present, 18 countries have ratified the convention and pressure is still
being applied through the campaign to convince the governments of other countries
to ratify the convention.

42

ACTION POLICY 6
Strengthening Political Activities to Realize Policies Advocated by RENGO
Basics of political activities
1. RENGO will proactively engage in political activities while emphasizing cooperative
relationships with political parties and politicians whose objectives are consistent
with those of RENGO with the goal of realizing true “comfort and affluence”
through improvements in living environment and realizing a hope-inspiring andsecure society through the creation of a “secure society based on work.”
2. RENGO will carry out political and election campaign activities based on RENGO’s
Vision for Politics set out in the political policy whose goals include theestablishment of party politics in which a healthy parliamentary democracy canfunction, realization of politics and policies that prioritize workers and citizens, andrealization of a two-party system in which regime change is a real possibility as afirst step towards creation of a political system in which political parties mutually
elevate their policies through competition. For the time being, taking the current
political situation into account, RENGO will strengthen efforts to deepen
understanding regarding the need for RENGO’s political activities and RENGO’s
support of political parties and politicians.
Strengthening efforts to enact policies
3. In addition to strengthening political activities aimed at promoting a healthy
political system with an appropriate air of tension, RENGO will strive for creation of
a “secure society based on work.”
4. RENGO will work to realize policies by cooperating with and strengthening support
for the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) with which RENGO shares numerous policy
objectives.
5. RENGO will lobby all opposition parties to deepen their understanding of thepolicies and systems advocated by RENGO.
6. RENGO will continue to lobby the current administration and party in power todeepen their understanding of policies advocated by RENGO.
7. RENGO will work to invigorate internal meetings with members of parliament such43

as the Monthly Meeting intended to promote the formation of ties among membersof parliament and to strengthen efforts to realize various policies and to promote
the exchange of information between RENGO Headquarters and individual
affiliates.
Strengthening political activities
8. As a part of the overall effort to strengthen political activities, RENGO will work topromote understanding of the importance of political activities and proactive
participation by union members in political activities by holding political training andstudy sessions. RENGO will also encourage participation in the political activities at
all levels of the organization from RENGO Headquarters to individual workplaces.
RENGO will continue work to raise the political awareness of union members,
especially by “talking to and calling on” the large group of young voters resulting
from the downward adjustment of the voter age to 18 years of age based onrevision of the Public Offices Election Act, women, and non-regular workers.
9. RENGO Headquarters and the political divisions of local organizations will hostforums for exchanging opinions and workshops with the goal of getting
RENGO-endorsed candidates to gain a deeper understanding of policies advocatedby RENGO.
Promoting election campaign activities
10. With regard to the 24th House of Councilors election (scheduled to be held in July of2016), affiliates and local RENGOs will proactively join together and will work
towards the election of endorsed candidates through the synergistic effects in theelection of proportional representatives and election of ward representatives. In
addition, RENGO will take steps to prepare for the possible dissolution of the Houseof Representatives.
11. RENGO will engage with all its power in activities related to special elections andlocal elections.
12. Taking the result of regional elections up to this into account, in addition to
obtaining a report on the Project Team for Exploring Measures for Enhancing theAbility to Enact Policies in Rural Areas, RENGO will develop concrete actions basedon the content of report into account.
13. While keeping an eye on national and regional elections, RENGO will work to make44

sure that election campaigns comply with various laws including the Public OfficeElections Law and the Political Funds Control Law. At the same time, as part of its
social obligations as a union, RENGO will proactively engage in efforts to keep
voters from abstaining from voting and efforts to promote voting in all forms,
including early voting.
14. RENGO will increase its efforts to use the internet as a more effective tool forelection campaigns.
Promoting political reform
15. RENGO will continue to call for radical reform of the electoral system so that
disparities in the value of votes in different constituencies are eliminated and sothat it becomes a system that seeks to expand the rights of voters and a systemthat is fair and impartial and appropriately reflects the will of the people. In addition,
RENGO will promote the establishment of a bicameral system in which both thelower and upper houses function effectively and work towards reform of the
National Diet with the goal of encouraging productive policy debate in the Diet.
16. To encourage citizens to participate in politics and in the healthy activities ofpolitical parties, RENGO will promote political reform and engage in efforts to revise
the Public Offices Election Act and the Political Funds Control Act with the goal ofliberalizing election campaigns and ensuring that regulations regarding politicalfunding are effectively enforced.
Revitalizing local politics
17. Bearing in mind that the state of local assemblies in which the importance of ahealthy dual representative system has been growing in recent years, RENGO localorganizations will call for the establishment of “basic regulations for legislative
assemblies” and invigoration of proposals from representatives based on such“basic regulations for legislative assemblies.”
18. RENGO local organizations will work to strengthen coordination between endorsed
members of the National Diet and local assembly members by holding “colloquiawith endorsed Diet members” and, taking the report on Project Team for Exploring
Measures for Enhancing the Ability to Enact Policies in Rural Areas in to account,
will work to expand the number of policies enacted and political influence. In
addition RENGO will work to enhance its ability to influence society by holding
regular discussions with each party head and each faction of each party.
45

ACTION POLICY 7
Realizing a Sustainable Society through Fair Globalization
Promoting decent work
1. With the ultimate goal of realizing decent work for all, RENGO will actively engage
itself, together with its local organizations/affiliates and Global Union Federations(GUFs), in the preparations for the World Day for Decent Work (October 7) set out
by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) as a means to further
expand penetration of the concept of “decent work” as proposed by theInternational Labour Organization (ILO).
2. RENGO will proactively participate in and support activities of ITUC-Asia Pacific(ITUC-AP), while cooperating with the ILO, with the goal of contributing to therealization of decent work in the Asia-Pacific region.
3. RENGO will strengthen efforts aimed at ratification of “ILO Conventions whose
ratification is prioritized by RENGO.” Specifically, RENGO will call for prompt
ratification of the two as-yet-unratified core conventions, namely, the Abolition ofForced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105) and the Discrimination (Employment
and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), and full application of the six
conventions that have already been ratified. In addition, RENGO will strengthen
efforts to urge the ILO and other organizations to take up the issue of restoringbasic labor rights for public service workers.
4. RENGO will work together with trade unions in relevant countries and strongly urge
appropriate governmental agencies to ensure that regional trade agreements(RTAs) such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and bilateral free trade
agreements/economic partnership agreements (FTAs/EPAs) including theJapan-EU EPA comply with core labor standards and will promote sustainableeconomic growth and raise the real income and standard of living of Japanesecitizens.
5. RENGO will work together with Global Unions*1 such as the ITUC and the Trade
Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) to strengthen efforts to present
policy recommendations to international organizations and at intergovernmental
meetings such as the G20, G8/G7 summits, ILO, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the46

International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank
(ADB), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, and the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM). When doing so, RENGO will pay due attention to linking such
advocacy to policies and systems advocated by RENGO itself. In addition, withregard to the 2016 G7 Summit, which will be chaired by Japan, RENGO will work torealize a meeting between G7 leaders and trade unions.
Promoting responsible business conduct by multinational enterprises
6. RENGO will work to raise awareness and penetration of international rules forbusiness conduct such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, theILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises andSocial Policy, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the ISO
26000 (Guidance on Social Responsibility).
7. RENGO will work with the ITUC and other organizations to ensure that enterprises
sponsoring the 2020 Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics and their associated supply
chains comply with core labor standards and will work to raise awareness ofcorporate social responsibility in the society at large.
8. RENGO will work with affiliates and GUFs to ensure that healthy labor-management
relations are established throughout the supply chains of Japanese enterprises. In
addition, RENGO will strengthen efforts to ensure that sound labor-management
relations are established by Japanese multinational enterprises based in Asia andthat labor disputes are resolved through dialogue between labor and management
by organizing bilateral seminars, etc.
9. To strengthen the effectiveness and implementation scheme for the OECD
Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, RENGO will strengthen its appeals to the
National Contact Point*2 and work to realize prompt resolution of issues by utilizing
its network of trade unions to its fullest capacity. In addition, RENGO will work to
improve the practical function of the Japanese NCP Committee and to promotetripartite cooperation with the goal of establishing healthy labor-management
relations in Japanese multinational enterprises.
10. RENGO will work together with affiliates and GUFs to encourage the conclusion of
global/international framework agreements (GFAs/IFAs).

47

Promoting development cooperation for poverty eradication
11. RENGO will work together with NGOs and other organizations to improve theefficacy of and raise awareness of the activities of the Forum for NGO-Trade Unions
in International Cooperation and the Child Labor Network aimed at resolving thechallenges listed as UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) *3. In addition,
RENGO will call on the government and the international financial institutions toeffectively implement development.
12. RENGO will cooperate with the Japan International Labour Foundation (JILAF) in
calling on the government to promote development cooperation through the
Official Development Assistance (ODA) focused on labor and, more specifically,
human resources development.
Protecting and establishing human rights, trade union rights anddemocracy
13. RENGO will proactively participate in campaigns by the ITUC and Global Unions toprotect human rights and trade union rights in countries around the world. In
particular, RENGO will endeavor to fulfill its regional obligation to resolve issues in
the Asia-Pacific region by working together with the ITUC-AP and national centersin each country. With regard to democratization in Myanmar, which has been a
RENGO priority, RENGO will continue to work towards creation of a democraticlabor movement.
Joint actions with Global Unions and overseas trade unions
14. RENGO will strengthen its cooperation with overseas trade unions as well as
domestic and foreign Global Union member organizations to respond to various
circumstances and overcome shared challenges that cut across national boundaries.
When necessary, RENGO will hold bilateral meetings with trade union national
centers of relevant countries including neighbors.
15. RENGO will formulate an International Labor Strategy (provisional title) tostrengthen organic linkages among its participation in relevant activities of Global
Unions, its cooperation with foreign national centers, and JILAF development
cooperation activities, with the goal of creating a system that enables trade unions
to be appropriately involved in addressing labor-related issues at all levels(enterprise, industry, region, country), i.e., the “global labor governance.”*1 Global Unions refers to the nine GUFs plus the ITUC and TUAC.
*2 National Contact Point (NCP) refers to the organization/point of contact in each country48

that is responsible for answering questions and resolving issues related to and promoting
the application of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. In Japan, the NCP is
jointly administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, Labour andWelfare, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
*3 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) refers to the development goals for 2016 to2030 that were adopted at the September 2015 UN Summit. The SDGs comprise 17 goals
including “Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full andproductive employment and decent work for all” (Goal 8) and “Build resilient infrastructure,promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” (Goal 9).

49