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1 Doro-Chiba Quake Report June 3, 2011/ issue 25 International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba (National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba) Joint Declaration of June 5 Rally June 5, 2011 Participants of June 5 Rally of Nationwide Campaign of National Railway Struggle June last year we set up a Nationwide Campaign of National Railway Struggle with a slogan, “Don’t put out the fire of national railway struggle”. The aim of this new movement is to oppose the Division and Privatization of National Railways and to support the struggle of 1047 national railway workers to demand the withdrawal of their unjust dismissal and reinstatement. On April 9, last year “political settlement” was forced to suppress this struggle with an intention of depriving workers of their labor right. Thereby it was requested to accept unfair labor practice by the Japan National Railways and the state power on the occasion of the Division and Privatization, namely massive selective dismissal of national railway workers and bloody union busting. The dismissed 1047 national railway workers’ 24-year struggle for reinstatement has built up a counterforce against the neo-liberal offensive that was started by the privatization of JNR. When this significant and courageous struggle should succumb to the plot of “political settlement” and lay down the weapons, what could happen to the rights of working class and the future of labor movement? This was our serious concern, which motivated us to begin the new national movement last June. In fact, the Division and Privatization of JNR had reduced the social position of labor movement to “zero”, a situation called “absence of labor movement”, in which a huge number of workers were driven into irregular employment and the social structure suffered a terrible dismantling. Responding to our appeal, “Don’t put out the fire of national railway struggle”, raised by the founding rally of the nationwide campaign last June, fighting colleagues and friends all over Japan have made tremendous efforts for a year and organized 40 support committees in various regions and workplaces across the country. The fresh movement of national railway struggle has surely taken root in Japanese class struggle. On this background, Doro-Chiba has blocked the scheme of overall outsourcing of the essential business of JR (Japan Railway) Companies for ten years by industrial actions, including repeated strikes in a past year. Fresh workers are joining Doro-Chiba. Meanwhile, international solidarity has also been remarkably developed. Kokuro (Japan National Railway Workers Union), on the other hand, expressed its intention of joining Rengo (Japan Confederation of Trade Unions, a major national trade union center), instantly at the moment of signing the document of “political settlement” last April, and is thrusting headlong into a line of labor-capital collaboration by the decisive revision of the union constitution on the coming convention in July. The major content of the planned revision of the convention is to deprive dismissed workers of their status as union members. Moreover, the union bosses of Kokuro have totally abandoned their efforts to “solve the employment issue within a year”. We are now witnessing a painful development, in which the proud national railway labor movement that used to be a driving force of the postwar Japanese labor movement is shamelessly giving up its principle. Considering these circumstances, it has become clear that the nationwide campaign of national railway struggle occupies a pivotal position in reviving class struggle labor movement. The huge East Japan Earthquake on March 11 and its subsequent disasters have changed the whole situation of Japanese class struggle. 2 Most of the catastrophic developments are due to the neo-liberal agenda: disorganization and fiscal bankruptcy of municipalities; dismantling of public infrastructure by privatization; limitless reduction of public service workers, etc. All these neo-liberal measures carried out since the privatization of JNR for a quarter of a century have weakened the ability of municipalities in rural areas to tackle the calamity. It was evident that the disaster was devastating in those regions, which had been abandoned by the neoliberal policy. The nuclear plant accident has exposed the real nature of the social forces that have promoted nuclear policy, making a demagogic propaganda, “Nuclear plant is absolutely safe” “All necessary measures have been taken to defend the nuclear installations from earthquake”. Politicians, bureaucrats, business circle, bribed scholars, labor unions, mass media and courts have long been cooperating in concealing the facts and truth in regard to nuclear plants in the name of “national interests” and under the pressure of money. Even after the terrible nuclear disaster, these shameless bands, who are all responsible for what recently happened, keep insisting, “There is no immediate harm to health”. It is nothing but a crime committed by capital and the state. Not only in the “affected areas” but also all over Japan, we are exposed to radioactive contamination, which could bring mortal threat and also faced to massive unemployment as a result of the disaster. Hundreds of thousand workers are already thrown to the street; wage-cut of public service workers is going to be carried out by a single order of the government under the pretext of serious situation of the disaster-stricken areas; agriculture and fishing industry are suffering devastating damage; school children are daily exposed to high level of radiation; added to these catastrophic developments, tax hike and dismantling of social welfare system are going to assault working people. Angry voices across the country are now bursting out in raging demonstration, furious protest actions against the government and TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) and joining a bitter and fierce fight to live. On the other hand, a serious crisis is developing in labor movement: No established labor union raises a voice of protest or takes action against the present outrageous situation, while national mobilization in the name of “reconstruction of Japan” is going to absorb labor movement that abandons all kind of labor action and class orientation. A dangerous drive is taking place in a situation almost like an eve of a war. To confront this, it is urgent to achieve a decisive advance of the nationwide campaign of national railway struggle. The time has come the proclaimed task of the Nationwide Campaign of National Railway Struggle obtains a broad layer of audience for its seriousness and universality. We have raised as our purpose the following points: to cling to the original point of our struggle, that is the fundamental issue of the Division and Privatization of National Railways that caused the overall setback of Japanese labor movement and destruction of labor rights; to establish class unity and solidarity of all working class across the country; to organize independent struggle from workplaces even if it must start from a small spark; and to support dismissed workers. In a word, revitalization of labor movement is desperately required. We are firmly determined to proceed this way with confidence though it might be a difficult way. Don’t’ put out the fire of national railway struggle! Let’s create a struggle against massive unemployment with slogans: withdraw unjust dismissal of 1047 national railway workers, crush neo-liberal agenda and fight back dismissal attempt under the pretext of the earthquake! Organize Nationwide Campaign of National Railway Struggle in every community and workplace! For the revitalization of labor movement! You can find the archive of Doro-Chiba Quake Report: http://dorochibanewsletter.wordpress.com 3 Let’s relieve earthquake victims through people’s power! (1) PayPal Account for Donation: Account Holder: YAMAMOTO Hiroyuki Secretary Treasurer, International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba (2) Donation through the International Humanities Center (IHC): Alternatively, donation could be made through the international Humanities Center (IHC) in each following way. 1. Checks can be made out to “People's Earthquake Relief Center / IHC” or “PERC / IHC”, and mailed to the Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools (CAMS) box: PO Box 3012, South Pasadena, CA 91031. 2. Donations can also be made on line at: http://ihcenter.org/groups/perc (3) Bank Account for Donation: Some or all of the following data 1 to 9 are required to send a remittance to Japan. And if the purpose of remittance is questioned, please reply that remittance is made for relief to the earthquake in Japan through the National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba (Doro-Chiba). 1. Bank name: The Chiba Bank, Ltd 2. Bank code# in Japan: 0134 3. Branch name: Chuo Branch 4. Branch code# in Japan: 001 5. Branch address: 2-5-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0013, Japan 6. Type of address: Ordinary deposit 7. Account number: 4177605 Address of Account: 2-8 Kaname-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0017, Japan Phone No. of Account: +81-43-222-7207 8. Account name: Kokutetsu Chiba Doryokusha Rodokumiai 9. SWIFT address: CHBAJPJT 001 4177605 Note: One space is needed between Branch Code# (001) and Account number (4177605).