As record prices continue to rise and wage increases are an issue, this year's spring labor offensive will actually start with a meeting between the tops of "Keidanren" and "Rengo" on the 23rd.
The focus is on whether the trend toward wage increases will spread and how far the rate of wage increases can be raised.
This year's spring struggle will virtually start when Chairman Tokura of Keidanren and Chairman Yoshino of the Federation meet on the morning of the 23rd.
"Rengo" said, "We should change to an economy where living prices are high and real wages continue to rise." We are asking for the highest wage increase since 7 years.
In response, the Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations) is positively considering raising base wages for a wide range of companies, stating that it will "particularly focus on price trends and call on companies to take a proactive approach to wage increases as part of their social responsibility." I am asking for
However, while saying that he can understand the level of about 5% demanded by the "Rengo", he said that "cautious consideration is desired."
In preparation for this year's spring labor offensive, Prime Minister Kishida is calling on the business community to cooperate in achieving wage increases that exceed the price increase rate in order to create a foundation for strong economic growth.
With record prices continuing to rise and raising wages becoming an issue, the momentum toward raising wages has increased more than in previous years, with a number of companies deciding to raise base wages to support their employees' livelihoods.
However, some companies respond with "lump sums" and "inflation allowances", etc., as they believe that "base pay increases" will continue to increase costs in the future.
In addition, some small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for 70% of workers, are saying that it is difficult to raise wages even if energy prices rise.
The situation surrounding the spring labor offensive has changed significantly from last year, with the rate of increase in the consumer price index last month hitting a high level for the first time in 41 years.
In this year's spring labor offensive, the focus will be on whether the movement to raise wages will spread, how far the wage rate can be raised, and whether it can be a turning point for raising wages sustainably.