[APWSLMembers 709] The Toyota related news ＮＯ．３

[tomoo banno]

＜The Toyota related news　ＮＯ．３＞
from ＡＰＷＳＬ・Japan Aichi Group
※Word：ATU＝All　Toyota Union／ATU・S＝citizens group supporting ATU
TMWU＝Toyota  Motor  Workers’  Union＜JTUC-RENGO＞

4) ATU Does Early Morning Leafleting at Kariya Station
   Following the January 26th action, on March 31, 2009, members did early 
morning
leafleting for the second time this year at Kariya Station. Six ATU (All 
Toyota Union) and ATUS (All Toyota Union Supporters) members gathered to 
distribute 3,000 leaflets in one-and-half hours.
The leaflet contained a report written by Mr. Kotaro Tanaka, a member of ATU 
who was laid off by JTEKT Corporation, and about the progress of 
negotiations with the Company. On another page was the report of ATU’s 
collective bargaining efforts in the 2009 Spring Labor Offensive with Toyota 
Motor, Denso, Aisin, and JTEKT Corporation. ATU can collectively bargain on 
behalf of individual members that work at Toyota Motor and its related 
companies.

3) Automobile Industry-wide Training Camp Held
A training camp was held in Toyota City over two days from March 28th to 
March 29th. Workers from the entire automobile industry nationwide gathered 
to participate in the camp.
This camp has been held once a year from the 1970s. Participants included 
members from minority labor unions, different from the major unions 
affiliated with JTUC-RENGO, individual activists, retirees, and campaign 
supporters.
Japanese law permits numerous unions to operate in one company. 
Representatives from minor unions of Toyota, Isuzu, and Murakami 
Corporation, participated in the camp. In addition from others from Nissan, 
Mitsubishi, and Community Union gave reports about their workers’ 
situation. ATUS also gave a summary of their activities from last year.

2) Progress of Spring Labor Offensive at Toyota Motor
On March 17th, Toyota Motor Workers’ Union (TMWU) announced that they had 
reached an agreement with the employer after being offered no rise in the 
‘base pay’, the
standard pay rise, and a lump sum of five months pay in addition to 100,000 
yen (1,860,000
yen on average). This fell well below the union’s demand of five months pay 
in addition to 200,000 yen for the lump sum. This was the first time in ten 
years that the company could not fulfil the union’s entire lump sum demand.
ATU, on the other hand, collectively bargained with the company, and while 
they union accepted the offer of no rise in the ‘base pay’ and maintenance 
of the standard pay rise; it expressed dissatisfaction about the lump sum 
offer.

1) Temporary Workers' Village Open at Okazaki City
Aichi held its own Temporary Worker’s Village (Haken Mura) in Okazaki City 
over March 21st and 22nd to support and offer advice for temporary workers.
Okazaki City, along with Toyota, Anjo, and Kariya, is one of central cities 
in the West Mikawa area, where many Toyota-related factories and companies 
are located.  Mitsubishi Motor has a big factory in Okazaki City. Some 130 
unemployed people came to seek advice over the two days. The people involved 
believed that the current recession would continue in the future, and were 
worried that the number of bankruptcies in small- medium-sized companies may 
further increase the numbers of unemployed. ATU and ATUS members also 
participated in the village.