2010 Spring Struggle−Joint Spring Struggle Committee unions begin petitioning large corporations for using their internal reserves to benefit workers

Following the March 4 Day of Action, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the Spring Struggle National Joint Committee on March 5 began petitioning Japan’s top 10 corporate giants, which amass internal reserves most, calling on them to use them to benefit workers.

Participants in the action visited five corporations: Nissan Motor Co., Sony Corp., Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Canon Inc.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), NTT DOCOMO, Panasonic Corp., and Tokyo Electric Power Co. refused to meet petitioners.

Petitioners visited Toyota Motor Corp. on March 9.

The petitioners submitted to these corporations a letter requesting them to utilize a part of corporate internal reserves in order to:
(1) improve job security and working conditions and fulfill their social responsibility in such areas as quality control of products and the defense of human rights;
(2) ensure that large corporations will pay appropriately to subsidiaries and subcontractors for supplies in compliance with relevant laws, including one regulating payments to subcontractors; and
(3) acknowledge that their payments of share of taxes and social insurance contributions are much lower than what large corporations in EU countries are paying and promise to pay their fair share according to their ability to pay to implement the constitutional principles.

Nissan and Canon only received the letter of petition while two other corporations had meetings with the petitioners for about half an hour each.