This year's spring labor dispute has become an unusual situation, with major companies quickly settling their cases with high standards such as ``full payment.''
On the other hand, some employees at small and medium-sized enterprises have voiced their frustration, saying, ``Prices are going up, but wages aren't going up.''
We covered the latest developments regarding wage increases.
table of contents
1,000 people gather to raise wages
What was the scene like on the first day of Spring Labor negotiations?
Early settlement with “full answer” one after another
attention
Wage increases include starting salaries, but...there are also voices of dissatisfaction on social media.
Open table of contents
table of contents
table of contents
1,000 people gather to raise wages
What was the scene like on the first day of Spring Labor negotiations?
Early settlement with “full answer” one after another
attention
Wage increases include starting salaries, but...there are also voices of dissatisfaction on social media.
1,000 people gather to raise wages
On the 7th, Zenroren, a labor organization with approximately 700,000 members, mainly from small and medium-sized businesses in the medical and manufacturing industries and non-regular workers, held a rally at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, with over 1,000 people attending. We gathered.
Participants repeatedly complained about the hardships of their lives.
``Due to high prices, we are making a living, but wages have not increased for a long time.Everyone is having a hard time.'' ``People who have
worked for a long time and have a career are important in the workplace, so we are creating an environment where they can continue working for a long time.'' To that end, raising wages is a necessary point.'' ``
We are aiming for a wage increase that exceeds the rise in prices.Although I feel that I should not cause trouble to the workplace, I am willing to go on strike this year.''
In this year's spring labor movement, Zenroren has announced a policy of demanding wage increases for all workers, including non-regular workers, of at least 10% of wages, including the base increase, or at least 30,000 yen per month, the highest ever. We are determined not to hesitate to carry out a strike.
Wage increases have not kept pace with rising prices
According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average total cash salary, including basic salary and overtime pay, was 282,270 yen per person, marking the 25th consecutive month of positive growth, the longest ever.
On the other hand, real wages, which reflect price changes, have been negative for 22 consecutive months compared to the same month of the previous year.
Wage growth is still unable to keep up with rising prices, and real wages continue to be negative.
Survey of more than 30,000 establishments with 5 or more employees nationwide
You can understand from 1!
High prices (1) How long will it last?
What about the wage increase?
I will answer the original question
If prices rise but wages do not rise, this could lead to a decline in employee motivation and job changes, and corporate managers are also feeling a heightened sense of crisis.
What was the scene like on the first day of Spring Labor negotiations?
This year's spring fighting is being held in such a situation.
It started virtually on January 24th.
Subsequently, each labor union submitted written demands to management, and negotiations between labor and management have been in full swing since last month.
Next week, March 13th, we will have a concentrated response day where mainly large companies will respond, but this year's situation is unusual.
One of those companies is Ajinomoto.
We covered the labor-management negotiations that started today, the 7th.
Labor-management negotiations began just before 1 p.m.
And one hour later...
Negotiations ended about 30 minutes earlier than scheduled, and management communicated their response to the union.
Management Tatsuya Sasaki, General Manager of Corporate Headquarters: ``
The management team has seriously considered this.Through the negotiations, we were able to confirm once again the growth, change, and determination of each and every union member.As requested, we will respond with the full amount at once.''
Eri Otoguro, Central Executive Committee Chairman of the Labor Union
: ``I would like to express my gratitude.I feel that this reflects the expectations and trust placed in the union members.I would like to convey this to the union members and work to meet the expectations of management.''
Negotiations were concluded in the first round and concluded ahead of the intensive response date.
The agreed wage increase will be approximately 6% for full-time employees who belong to the union, including base increases and periodic salary increases, which will be an average of 21,664 yen per month per employee.
Of this amount, the base increase amount is 14,000 yen per month on average per person.
After the negotiations were concluded, Chairman Otoguro said, ``We heard from union members that their disposable income was decreasing and that they wanted a boost to take on challenges at work, so we wanted to set an amount that would further motivate them. So I'm happy," he said.
Some companies completed negotiations in February
Major motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announced on the 21st of last month (February), the first day of labor-management negotiations during this year's spring labor union, that a total of 17,400 yen per month, including base increases and regular salary increases, was the highest ever. We reached an agreement with a full response.
President Yoshihiro Hidaka
: ``We are hearing from our employees and suppliers that they are struggling to make ends meet due to rising prices.We, who have benefited from the weaker yen, are now on the side of giving back, and our employees' real wages are going down. "This is the result of my desire to prevent this from becoming a virtuous cycle and contribute in some small way to the virtuous cycle of the Japanese economy.If there is no fixed wage level, there is a risk that it will become even more difficult to acquire human resources, which is becoming increasingly difficult, so as a manager, I placed a high priority on this."
Early settlement with “full answer” one after another
During this year's spring labor dispute, there have been a number of moves among major companies to quickly settle the issue with a high level of wage increases.
[Cars/Motorcycles]
"Honda": Fully agreed upon negotiation on February 21st, monthly wage
increase of 20,000 yen (largest since 1989)
"Mazda": Fully agreed upon first negotiation,
increased amount equivalent to the base increase and regular salary increases, combined monthly wage increase Wage increase of 16,000 yen (largest since 2003)
[Eating out] "
Mos Food Service"
Wage increase of about 8% on average (first base increase) including regular salary increases and base increase
"Zensho Holdings" March 7th
Wage increase of 12.2% including base increase and regular salary increase agreed
in labor-management negotiations
[Food]
"Suntory Holdings" Wage increase of approximately 7% agreed upon in the first negotiation on February 28
Base increase is 13,000 yen per month (over the past 20 years) Maximum) "Sapporo Beer"
Wage increase of over 6% including base increase concluded
in negotiations at the end of February
[Retail]
"Aeon"
Wage increase for full-time employees + policy to raise hourly wages by approximately 7% on average for part-time employees
"Bic Camera"
for 8 consecutive years In addition to this policy
, major life insurance companies are also raising wages one after another.
From now on, negotiations between small and medium-sized enterprises will become more serious.
For many small and medium-sized enterprises, negotiations will begin in earnest after the intensive response date.
Therefore, the future focus will be on whether we can spread this momentum not only to large companies but also to small and medium-sized enterprises and non-regular workers, and achieve sustainable wage increases.
In order to promote wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises, it is important to create an environment in which it is easy to pass on increases in raw material and labor costs to large companies that are prime contractors, and last month's top management meeting between Keidanren and Rengo also emphasized the need to pass on price increases. We agree to work towards achieving this goal.
At a press conference on the 7th, Rengo Chairman Yoshino said, ``Only a few major companies have concluded agreements ahead of time.This will have a positive impact on future market formation, and will I would welcome this move if it gives further momentum to labor-management negotiations among business operators."
He then pointed out that ``it is especially important how small and medium-sized businesses in local areas can raise their wages and how much they can raise their standards,'' stressing once again the importance of spreading wage increases broadly to local areas and small and medium-sized businesses. .
In addition, more than 3,000 of its member labor unions announced their demands, calling for an average wage increase of 17,606 yen, including regular wage increases, or a rate of 5.85%, exceeding the union's goal of 5% or more. I think it's gone.
attention
Wage increases include starting salaries, but...there are also voices of dissatisfaction on social media.
On the other hand, these moves to raise wages at major companies are also reflected in starting salaries.
Capcom, a game manufacturer headquartered in Osaka, has announced that the starting salary for new employees joining the company next spring will be the same from vocational school graduates to graduate school graduates, and the monthly base salary will be increased from the current 235,000 yen to 300,000 yen. I'm planning to raise it.
This is a significant increase of 27%.
We are working on acquiring IT human resources, including programmers who work on game production, but competition with other industries is also becoming more intense, so we would like to improve the treatment and acquire human resources.
Capcom also plans to provide support to full-time employees, including new employees who will join the company in April.
In addition to giving an average salary increase of more than 5% and paying a lump sum next fiscal year, the company plans to review its personnel system in fiscal 2025 to ensure that, in principle, there will be no reversal of salaries between new employees and younger employees.
Many companies are raising starting salaries one after another.
A sudden increase in starting salary may lead to a reversal of the salary level compared to younger employees who have joined the company up to that point.
While the reception has been positive, there are also voices of dissatisfaction on social media.
``As a result of raising the starting salary, employees in their 5th to 9th year are angry that their salaries are the same as new employees.'' ``
The salaries of new employees and senior employees are now 100 yen different.''
Whether or not it is possible to realize wage increases that are acceptable to workers is likely to continue to be an issue going forward.