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Speeches of Nov/9 Workers Rally
From web site of Doro-Chiba : www.doro-chiba.org
Program

Nov/9 All-over Japan Rally of the Workers
 
Let's Make a Nation-wide Network of Fighting Labor Unions!
For International Solidarity of Workers to Confront a large-scale Unemployment and the War!
Slogan
 
Opening Address
DORO-CHIBA(The National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba) Yasuhiro TANAKA
   
Greatings of Solidarity
Association Against May 27 Suppression at KOKURO Extraordinary Convention Akio Sato
Vice-Chairman of Japan Federation of Aviation WorkerfUnions Tetuya Muranaka
Japan Federation of Bar Association/Society to defend the Constitution and Human Rights Shunkichi Takayama
Block The Road to War|One Million Signature Campaign Norio Odawara
   
From KCTU(Korean Confederationof Trade Unions) South Korea;
President of Seoul Area Local Go Jong Hwan
Vice President of Seoul Area Local Kim Chang Seob
Director of Organization of Seoul Area Local Mun Mun Ju
   
From the United States;
International Longshore & Warehouse Union/Local-34 Secretary-Treasurer Russell K.Miyashiro
Campaign Against Taft-Hartley, Repression and Privatizati Steve Zeltzer
United Transportation Union UTU Paul C.Jensen
   
Appeal for Donation
     
Keynote Speech
MINATO-GODO(Metal and Machinery Worker's Union in Osaka)  
     
Declarations of struggle from workplaces
DORO-CHIBA  
   
Closing Address
KAN-NAMA(The Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers/Kansai area branch)
   
"International" and Solidarity Cheer
 
Pictures of speakers (AutoE)
Pictures of flags (AutoE)
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Slogan

Let's repel bankruptcy / discharge / wage cut / unstable employment / dismantling of labor legislation and social security system by solidarity of all workers!

Let’s make up a struggle- “No completion of, No invocation of, No obedience to Emergency Legislation”! Let’s stop dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq and stop the war of aggression on North Korea!

Let’s smash repression on KOKURO(the National Railway Workers' Union) members and let’s win the struggle of fired 1047 KOKURO workers by solidarity of all workers!

Let's smash the police oppression to labor movement intended to destroy the right of organization and stop legislation of the Law against Conspiracy by solidarity of all workers!

Let's develop cross-border solidarity and joint struggle of workers of Japan / United States / South Korea!

Down with “war-waging, the Constitution revising” Koizumi reactionary cabinet by solidarity of all the workers!


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11.9 Opening Address

TANAKA Yasuhiro
President of DORO-CHIBA(National Railways Motive Power Union of Chiba)

I thank you all for joining in today's rally from all over Japan. I am also most grateful to the colleagues of the KCTU from South Korea and the colleagues from the US headed by the ILWU for coming a long way to this meeting. As an opening address, let me greet you on behalf of the sponsoring three unions.

I should like to make a proposition in the beginning of the rally in the name of the sponsors.
The KCTU faces now an extremely severe situation under repression on labor movement and discrimination of irregular workers by the Roh Moo-Hyun administration even surpassing the late military dictatorship in its brutality. In protest against this, five workers committed suicide this year. On October 31 in the emergency delegates meeting of the KCTU, a resolution has been passed to wage a general strike on November 12. Today in Seoul a National Rally of 100,000 workers is being held.

My proposition is: to hold this rally as solidarity meeting with the simultaneously held National Workers Rally in Seoul and with the planned general strike. To confirm this I should like to propose to adopt a resolution in the name of all the participants of this rally as follows:
We demand the Roh Moo-Hyun administration to immediately stop all repressive measures on labor movement!

Stop claim for damages and seizure of property/wage of unionists as counter-measures to strike!
Release all the detained workers for labor dispute and withdraw unlawful dismissal!
Stop policy of discriminating irregular workers!

I ask you to approve this proposition with hearty applause of all the present here.
Workers in the US headed by the ILWU are also fighting against invocation of the Taft-Hartley Act and repression in Oakland. They are diametrically opposed to labor-management collaborationism of the AFL-CIO officials and are fighting back war, repression and privatization to tremble the Bush administration.

This is the sixth meeting organized under the slogan of "Let us make a national network of fighting labor unions". We have not imagined, however, until several months ago that such a wonderful rally of international solidarity might be held. What has made us unite is above all the actual situation around us. "September 11, 2001" and "March 20, 2003" (start of the Iraq war of aggression) have changed the whole world. Naked imperialist policy headed by the US is prevailing and severe attack is violently storming workers. Confronting with this situation, we have been fighting in firm and absolute conviction that only united power of workers can prevent war and that only united struggle of workers can change the present world. Now our aspiration has become one.

Joint struggle of Japanese, US and Korean workers basically constitutes an actual power to stop preparation for aggressive war on North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) by the Bush and Koizumi administrations.

Workers of the world are now going to regain the power to create a new age in unity. Labor unions, once driven to the edge of a cliff, have begun a fresh struggle, reviving the fighting power everywhere in the world. This is an evident manifestation of a dynamic beginning of a new history of workers' struggle that nothing can prevent.

The Koizumi administration has stepped into a path of a fresh war through the legislation of three Emergency Laws and is intending to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq. Bush as well as Koizumi is flaming up chauvinism against the North Korea in preparation for the next war.

The corporate leaders are pushing on with dismantling of labor legislation and social security system and enforcing a large-scale privatization according their policy to "put 9 out of 10 workers into unstable employment", propagating fisticuff law or struggle for existence. Thus a large number of workers have been thrown into stormy restructuring, bankruptcy and wage-cut, while militant labor movement is exposed to severe attacks.

The official labor movement with the RENGO (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) at the head has surrendered to this capitalist offensive and has shifted to the other side of the demarcation line between labor and management. It supports the Emergency Legislation and agrees to the retrogressive revision of the labor laws, wage-cut and worsening of working conditions; it has almost completed its degradation into an "Association of Industrial Patriots". ZENROREN (National Trade Union Council) makes no exception.

In regard to the struggle of fired 1047 workers of National Railways, the union officials handed over to the police several of them, who insisted on continuing the struggle. Surprisingly enough the very union leader who worked as general secretary of the NRU headquarters on the union convention in September and enforced these disciplinary measures, ran away from NRU in October.

Against this background, a massive revolt of workers has been launched overcoming the traditional division between the national centers, such as RENGO and ZENROREN. A new trend of labor movement is emerging overcoming the hindrance by the RENGO officials, as was illustrated in the recent struggle against the Emergency legislation which was organized by the land, sea, air and port 20 unions and organizations with the participation of tens of thousands workers. Among others our struggle has sent impressive message to the whole world and fighting friends have begun gathering around us.

Today I should like to appeal above all to rise up together for a fundamental change of the miserable present situation of labor movement. The time is ripe; the voice of anger is full.

As a result of the dissolution of SOHYO (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan) and forming of RENGO in 1989, Japanese labor movement has been brought to the brink of disbanding. We are now here to declare a creation of Japanese labor movement anew from the beginning with our own hands. Workers are the masters of the society. Workers create the history. If each of us, participant of today's rally, organizes 10 comrades, our fighting power will soon be several tens of thousands. Let's gather the voice of anger at workplaces and communities and unite them nationwide and round the world.

Today is the day of the General Election in Japan. There is no political party in Japan to fight with workers for their interests, although all sacrifices are shifted on the shoulder of working class and the whole world is threatened by new wars. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is stepping straightforward into the way for war and revision of the Constitution. Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) as well admits the Emergency legislation and revision of the Constitution and is competing with LDP in promoting restructuring, deregulation and privatization. Even Japan Communist Party (JCP) is now becoming a part of national partnership through revising its party program. Workers are all angry at this political situation. Today's rally represents their voice of indignation. For all this our rally is making a new start.

Let's repel the aggression of masse unemployment through the unity of all the workers. Let us overthrow the reactionary Koizumi administration of war and revision of the Constitution. Let us develop joint struggle and international solidarity of Japanese, US and Korean workers. Let us organize nation-wide network of fighting labor movement. Stop the dispatch of the SDF to Iraq.
This is my opening address. Thank you.


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Greeting from KCTU

I should like to greet heartily as comrade to all the fighting labor brothers and sisters gathering to the November 9th National Workers Rally. I am Go Jong-Hwan, President of Seoul Area Local KCTU from South Korea. Tojen (struggle)!

I introduce to you comrade Kim Chang Seob, Vice President of Seoul Area Local and comrade Mun Mun-Ju, Director of Organization of Seoul Area Local.

First of all we thank comrade TANAKA Yasuhiro, President of DORO-CHIBA and comrade union members who invited us. Besides we thank you all present here on behalf of Korean workers.

I am very happy here to make solidarity with workers comrade. Frankly speaking, I do not feel at ease for the situation of the workers in Korea is so severe, with which I confront.
The Korean government and capitals are enforcing repression on the lawful exercise of the fundamental rights of labor, such as right of association and right of collective bargaining, which is guaranteed by the Constitution and the ILO, through civil and criminal measures such as seizure of property/wage for damages, detention etc. They do not keep their promise of abolishing discrimination against irregular workers. On the contrary they are intending to revise law to expand irregular employment.

Labor policy of the Korean government is formulated in the recently published "Roadmap for Industrial Relations Reform". Its essence lies in binding workers by hands and feet and strengthening counteraction right of employers. Five workers are driven into suicide this year by the enforcement of the governmental policy for our regret. Moreover, a worker is still in danger of life. The tragic deaths of these comrades are cruel products of the neo-liberal policy of expelling workers and 'murder' by the Roh Moo-Hyun administration that has been organizing repression on labor movement.

The Roh Moo-Hyun administration has decided to dispatch troops to Iraq under the pressure of the US, neglecting the public opinion of Korean people whose majority is opposed to it. In a word, the Roh Moo-Hyun administration is not satisfied with overall killing of workers at home through failure of its domestic policy and dares to commit to a shameless act of demanding Korean people to massacre Iraqi people in accord with the unrighteous US war of aggression on Iraq.

To cope with this serious situation, the KCTU has decided to wage an all-out general strike with the following demands: to stop seizure of property/wage for damages and repression on labor movement; to abolish discrimination against irregular workers; to arrest employers who committed unfair labor practice; to stop dispatch of troops to Iraq. On November 6, we waged the first general strike with participation of 120 thousand workers and today we are holding 100 thousand Workers Rally. We are determined to continue our struggle through the second general strike on November 12 against neo-liberalist repression of the government in collusion with transnational capitals on labor movement.
Comrades!

There are militant class-oriented activists of Japanese labor movement together here. We sincerely congratulate you all again. We regard the fact itself as very significant that we can be here with you, with all our comrades. "Workers of the whole world, unite!" this internationalism of workers has not been realized for certain period and in one country framework of labor movement. This ideal has been sleeping in the book and has sounded clumsy. But now in the era of globalization of neoliberalism, it must not remain the mere comfortable slogan but must be materialized through our struggle. Without realizing this ideal, we can't even maintain the historical achievements that our predecessors of labor movement have acquired by their fights with many sacrifices.

Now under the global system of capitalism, Workers internationalism must be the indispensable integral part of workers struggle. It being realized, we can make our struggle one step forward and can protect our right of existence and our fundamental labor rights too.

In this meaning, it is important for us, the Korean, Japanese and American labor movement to fight against the war crisis jointly, which has been brought about meanwhile by the "Nuclear Problem" of North Korea. Military forces of US have now strongholds crossing over the regional boundaries and move from there. So, if we want to cope with this move, we must build up the coordinated movement that covers Japan, Korea and the rest of the East Asia.

We must above all prevent the impending brutal warfare, prepared by both Japanese Militarism, symbolized by the latest Emergency Legislation, and by US-Imperialism. At the same time, it is also necessary that the movement against US-imperialism must be fought inside the US itself, i.e. by the class-oriented labor movement and anti-war movement.

So, it is an urgent task for all of us to make an international solidarity between Korean, American, and Japanese labor movement. We must make further efforts to prevent globalization of neoliberalism. For that purpose, we, the Korean labor movement, make its best for our part. We wish with all our heart that today and this place should be a milestone of the international class solidarity of Korean, American and Japanese labor movement.

Finally, we want to pay our warm respects to all the participating comrades.

Thank you very much.

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Russell. K. Miyashiro

I thank Doro-Chiba, Yamamoto-san, and Zelter-san for the privilege to speak to you today. I send greetings from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), from ILWU Local 34, the Rank and File ILWU Anti-War Action Committee and from all the activists in the United States who are standing with you while you fight cooperate greed. You are not alone in your struggle!

We thank Doro-Chiba for your strong stand on March 27 through March 29, 2003 when you stood up against the Iraq War and stood up against the “Emergency Laws” which strengthens the government and weakens all of us. We thank Doro-Chiba for your stand against the Occupation of Iraq, for your support of Business Agent Brother Jack Heyman, who, on April 7, 2003, was arrested while protecting his men at a non-violent, non-confrontational Peace Rally at the Port of Oakland. And we thank you for your long commitment to justice!

Unions, organizers, and participants, we, are doing important work by keeping our nations on a visionary track. The vision we share is exactly like the vision that every individual in the world shares. We wish to be happy. We wish to be satisfied. And this vision is possible!

When our species first walked the earth as hunters and gatherers, we worked collectively to hunt and forage. The food source was inconsistent. As farming developed, we again worked collectively to plant and harvest and our food source became more consistent; however, there were still and droughts and famines. From our very beginnings to almost the present…there was never enough. This shaped our psyches and we have built institutions…governments and corporations…that foster this old belief that “there is not enough.”

There are a few men willing to destroy thousands of families for huge corporate profits. Enron, Tyco, Global Crossing, Arthur Andersen were making the headlines a year ago for stealing billions of dollars from families. Fifteen years ago Charles Keating, Michael Milken, and Ivan Boesky stole billions from society. How much is enough? And at what costs to families and society?

The ILWU was borne out of the militant class struggles of the 1930's. We have a long history of defending our union against attacks from the Pacific Maritime Association, the employers' group, and Government of the United States which backs it. We've done it through labor solidarity, uniting with other maritime workers and the organized trade union movement.

We defend our union by standing by our democratic and trade union principles, by staying united and fighting oppression, whether it be because of race, color, creed, national origin, religious or political belief. We do it by helping any worker in distress, whether he be standing next to us or in another country and by being disciplined. We put aside our internal differences and unite for the common cause of advancing the welfare of the all workers. We stand tall and march together to implement our union's slogan, “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

In recent years the ILWU has stood together with the Liverpool dockers and refused to off load the Neptune Jade with scab cargo from England, as you did here and longshoremen did in Vancouver, Canada. We refused to handle Australian scab cargo in support of the Australian longshoremen. And we have shown solidarity to the Charleston 5 longshore workers who were victimized by police for defending their union and who were acquitted last year. They were victorious because of the support from longshore workers around the world.

In support of social justice the ILWU took a stands against apartheid during the 80's by refusing to work a ship from South Africa, and refusing to handle El Salvadoran coffee again in solidarity with workers during that bloody civil war, and boycotted ships from Chile protesting the repressive military dictatorship there. In 1999, we shut down all ports on the West Coast to bring attention to the plight of black political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal and to demand his freedom. Later that year we shut down ports in solidarity with the WTO protesters in Seattle who had been attacked by police for opposing so-called “free trade” agreements. And the ILWU has been active condemning war by working to build coalitions with labor unions throughout the US as well as throughout the world. That is why we participate in the 5 million strong US Labor Against the War. Not only do we stand opposed to the imperial war for oil in Iraq but also against the US occupation. And I commend you for your union taking action on the docks against the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Finally let me say that we workers must learn the lessons of history: unite and defend our unions and working class gains or we face defeat. In the recent protest on September 29 by European dockworkers in Rotterdam against union busting privatization of the ports, scores of workers were attacked by the police. We can only stop these anti-union attacks by police and the maritime companies they represent by forging an unbreakable chain and taking action together against our common enemy. Victory to workers through international labor solidarity!

Arigato Gosaimasu.

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Steve Zeltzer

We are all in the same battle

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I bring greetings to you from trade unionists and workers in the United States who are fighting the growing attack against on our living conditions, the growing repression against our rights and the criminal war being waged by the United States against the people of Iraq and dozens of other countries around the world.
Over three million US workers have lost their jobs since the attack on the WTC on 9/11. The Bush administration with the support of the Democrats in Congress have used this terrorist attack not only to inaugurate new repressive legislation like the so called "Patriot Act" and "Maritime Security Act" but to push ahead with a massive privatization drive and the contracting out of millions of jobs. Part time and temporary jobs are now the norm for tens of millions of workers. Today in the US over 100,000 grocery clerks and 6,000 Los Angeles transit workers are fighting against cutbacks in their pensions and healthcare.
Directly using the pretext of security and "anti-terrorism" the US government and others including the Japanese government are seeking to create legislation that will destroy all the rights of labor. Trade unionists and immigrants in the US can now be jailed without trial under the guise of "fighting terrorism". International labor solidarity under their "new" rules could be declared "terrorism". In fact, it is the actual policies of US capitalism and it's international organizations like the World Bank, IMF and WTO that are directly responsible for poverty, deprivation, privatization and the conditions that lead to terrorism. When the US and it's allies steal and loot the resources of other countries through privatization and deregulation, this of course is not called "terrorism" but "free trade" and "economic development".
The Bush administration?s "perpetual wars" are a threat to every worker in the world. We also protest the pressure by the US government and the Democrats and Republicans in Congress to remilitarize Japan and for it to openly violate the Japanese anti-war constitution. The Japanese government like the British and Spanish governments are ignoring the will of their own populations in supporting an illegal and genocidal war against the people of Iraq.
The hundreds of billions of dollars in the US that are now being expended to build the new US empire in the middle east is being paid for by brutal cuts in education, housing, healthcare and health and safety. US retirees are forced to travel to Canada to buy drugs because of the private control of medicine and over 46 million people have no health insurance.
There are small but important beginnings of a fightback. A needed national campaign against privatization has begun with a national conference being planned in San Francisco on November 23. We hope to build a national labor protest against privatization in Washington, DC next year. We must also link up all workers in every union and with community groups who have been fighting in their individual areas against privatization, deregulation and contracting out. This can bring together millions in powerful collective action.
Workers need each other from Korea, China and Japan to the US, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The effort to pit worker against worker and to blame immigrants for this crisis must also be fought. Only international labor action can defeat this and today?s rally is an important step in this direction. Internationalism is growing. On November 17, European dockers will shutdown all the ports to protest deregulation and we need to build support for them throughout the world.
We stand with you in your fight to win the jobs back of all fired JR rail workers, to release all the jailed unionists and to renationalize the JR rail system. In the UK, the privatization of the railroads has completely backfired and the government is now being forced to begin to renationalize the railroads and we will see this happening in other countries around the world. We stand together with you in your effort to revitalize and democratize the labor movement in Japan and your effort to build an international labor movement. Finally we salute you for your strike action against privatization and the war in Iraq.

Joe Hill, a US syndicalist leader who was put to death by the state of Utah in 1915 for his laborprinciples and songs. These are his words.

"If the workers take a notion,
They can stop all speeding trains;
Every ship upon the ocean
They can tie with mighty chains;
Every wheel in the creation,
Every mine and every mill,
Fleets and armies of the nation,
Will at their command stand still,
Arise, ye prisoners of starvation!
Fight for your own emancipation;
Arise, ye slaves of every nation,
In One Union Grand.
Our little ones for bread are crying;
And millions are from hunger dying;
The end the means is justifying,
'Tis the final stand.
Victory to our struggles"

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Paul C. Jensen

Hello, my name is Paul C. Jensen, and I am from Chicago, Illinois, the railroad capital of the USA. I will be talking about remote locomotives in Chicago and throughout the USA.

The modern history of robot remote control locomotives in the USA and Canada goes back about 25 years ago when the American steel industry went through its big shock in the late 1970's . The American steel companies decided since the competition was not going away they went after and blamed labor.
In their desire to cut jobs, management decided that for interplant rail operations could be remote controlled. At the time, labor didn't fight --- so many jobs were being lost, that being a remote control operator was better than no job at all.

When the recession of the early 1990's the companies that marketed decided the time was ripe for bigger and better things, such as bringing remotes to Canada. One Canadian railroad was the Algoma Central and that was the start of remotes in the USA for class one railroads.

The Wisconsin Central was one of the early regional railroads in the late 1980's and one of the most successful. At first, the WC went after small short lines that were probably going to fail anyway, but in the early 1990's the WC moved on the algoma Central. Also, the WC bought up the former state run railroads in New Zealand, Australia, and in the United Kingdom. However, the success that the WC had with the railroads in the USA and Canada was not to be had overseas... You guessed it ... the WC blamed labor for lost profits. Since the WC was a non union railroad the idea of taking the remote locomotives from Canadian putting them to work on the rails in the USA seemed to be a sure fire idea...

Fortunately, Wisconsin central labor fought back, and fought back hard. WC labor was successful in rallying the state of Wisconsin. This stopped remote locomotives for a while on the larger systems. However, for railroad management the remote dream NOT go away.

In early 2001 Canac, a company owned in part by several railroads, designed a "New and Improved" control box, promising better control and performance.
Also in early 2001, most union members were pushing for 60 ? 30 congressional legislation in where railroad workers would work till age 60 or 30 years of railroad service. Unknown to most workers, the railroad, were "piggybacking" "60 - 30" legislation with an agreement over remotes with the unions.

And then September 11, 2001 happened, and the railroads were able scream bloody murder about "national security" and "recession" at the same time, and used this to push an agreement for remotes. The unions were threatened with Taft - Hartley so that even if the unions did not agree with the railroads, the railroads would get their way, anyway.

In selling remote control units to labor, the railroads claimed that the remote control unit was no different giving hand signs or verbal radio commands to the engineer on the locomotive. They also claimed that no one would lose their jobs to remotes with "Job protection". In reality, remote operators have to check the locomotive for safety defects and are responsible for any damage they cause. The "job protection" claimed turned to be for the remote operator only.

The fight against remote control locomotives so far has been limited to small scale demonstrations and a few city councils banning remote locomotives in their jurisdictions, which, sadly, can be overruled at the federal level. Also worker apathy is a serious problem; many workers are jaded and discouraged from protesting simply because they feel that railroad management is going to do want it wants to do. What should be taken into account over worker apathy is the cost of living is so high in the USA and there is a severe shortage of jobs earning more than $8.00 an hour --- many Americans work full time and part time jobs, or, even worse, TWO full time jobs and are STILL not able to make ends meet.

However, not all is in despair --- the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers are formulating a strategy to restrict the use of remotes locomotives, such as media exposure, informing different city councils about the use of remote locomotives in their jurisdictions; while the number is now small, if enough cities ban the remote control locomotives, a federal government overrule will be much harder to force upon the cities. The struggle against remote is far from over and this only the beginning... Thank you for hearing my speech about remote control locomotives in the USA, and the fight against them.

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All Workers' Rally for General Offensive of November 9

Keynote Speech

Make international solidarity of workers against large-scale unemployment and war!

We are now successfully holding this 6th annual labor rally, inviting militant unions from the U.S.A. and Korea, to strengthen international solidarity and to achieve revival of labor movement. Now in Seoul, Korea, KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions) holds 100,000 Workers' National Rally with three demands: abolition of irregular employment, suspension of retrogressive revision of national pension, inhibition of counteraction right of employers. And KCTU declared to wage general strike on Nov. 12. In the U.S.A. workers are struggling against repression on labor unions, Taft-Harley Act, and privatization. They are unflinchingly fighting to stop legislation of Patriot Act II. We would like to express our gratitude and respect to our friends from the US and Korea, who are joining in this rally a long way at this important moment.

KAN-NAMA (Solidarity Union of Japan Construction and Transport Workers Kansai Area Branch) has been dispatching 2 executive members to KCTU since April. Today its 30 members are participating in the rally of KCTU. Mr. Nakamura, vice- president of MINATO-GODO (Metal and Machinery Workers Union in Osaka), also takes part in the rally. DORO-CHIBA has established an International Solidarity Committee. We are determined to make a national network of militant labor unions, persistently creating solidarity and struggle of workers from workplaces, communities and industries, together with workers in the US, Korea and the rest of the world.

Stop dispatch of the SDF to Iraq!

In occupied Iraq, the body count on the US side amounts now over 140. Counterattack by Iraqi people is dragging US troops into the mud. War weariness spreads in US troops. Many soldiers there commit suicide and desert. Families of soldiers are in the forefront of anti-war demonstrations at home. In September and October, the struggle against occupation of Iraq went round the globe again. Only the workers and people have a force to stop aggressive war for oil, domination of the Middle East and the world rule.

The Koizumi administration intends to dispatch nearly thousand soldiers of the SDF to this battlefield and pays 5.5 billion dollars for war expenditure. This makes Japan third largest belligerent country next to the US and the UK. We shall not allow it! Muslim people denounce it and call for struggle of Japanese workers. Let us rise up for struggle with 20 Land, Sea, Air and Port labor unions organizations against the dispatch of SDF to Iraq, the completion, invocation of and obeying Emergency Legislation. Agitating discrimination, disdain, fear and hostility to North Korea on the pretext of "nuclear development and kidnapping", Koizumi administration is intensifying military pressure on North Korea. Let's stand against this war policy. Stop the revision of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution!

Large-Scale Capitalist Offensive Combined with War

Wars are carried out for interests of giant capitals that bump up hunger, unemployment and gap between the rich and the poor all over the world, and pursue greedy exploitation and deprivation. At the same time, the government and financial circles attack workers; capitalist offensive and destruction of social security are rampant. For survival of capital, they shift every burden on workers, people and medium and small enterprises.

In 1995, Japan Federation of Economic Organization (JFEO) published a policy to bring ninety percent of workers into unstable employment in order to win out in international competition. This policy has been carried out through the revision of labor legislation and the revision of company legislation and it has brought about enormous amount of unemployment and irregular workers. Precondition of this process was the dissolution of SOHYO (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan) and establishment of RENGO (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) and capitulation and weakening of labor unions through division and privation of the National Railways.

At the beginning of 2003, Nippon Keidanren(Japan Business Federation) published Okuda Vision, and Report of Labor Policy Committee of Nippon Keidanren. This report says, "we demand labor unions' actions to defend vested interests be corrected", and forces labor unions to surrender and degenerate.
Thus extremely retrogressive revision of Labor Standard Law -- insertion of rule of dismissal -- and revisions of Worker Dispatching Business Law, Employment Security Law, Unemployment Insurance Law etc., -- dismantlement of post-war Labor Legislation -- and revision and restructuring of company legislation, and public service system have been forced through. Both in public and private sectors, it throws workers into storm of restructuring, bankruptcy, dismissal and irregular employment. The national pension, the medical services and welfare systems have been violently destroyed, and enormous tax increase is in preparation.

Building on the right of association, fight back repression on labor movement and mass movement!

Current capitalist offensive aims basically to destroy the right of association, criminalize labor movement and reinforce repressive laws, such as legislation of the Law against Conspiracy. The right of association, an inalienable right of the working class is in danger.

The struggle of national railways workers face a crucial moment. Their struggle has a great influence on the right of all the workers and on the future of labor movement. The struggle of fired 1047 workers of National Railways is under severe attack: Four-Party Agreement and Three-Party Statement, suspension of membership right of 22 unionists of the KOKURO Tosodan (fighting corps of the dismissed workers) by the KOKUROU(NRU: National Railway Union) officials who surrendered to the political pressure, and police repression on NRU members who sought to carry through militant policy on the occasion of the Extraordinary Convention of NRU in May 2002,etc.
In normal labor union activities and bankruptcy disputes, exercise of right of association and right of strike has been criminalized. Extreme repression by police is being expanded and destruction of labor dispute by means of civil injunction, suing for damages, etc. has become almost usual practice. Recently we have experienced: one year long detention of NRU workers for their activities on the Extraordinary Union Convention, repressions on KAN-NAMA, SODANREN (Coordinating Committee of Struggling Groups), Kansai General Union (Amalgamated Union), Motoyama Branch of Metal Workers Union, Sanko Branch of MINATO-GODO, Neyagawa Branch of National Federation of Buraku Liberation League, to name some.

To fight back immediately and unconditionally dismissal and repression is the fundamental principle of labor union. It is now the very moment to go back to the basics. In Kansai area a rally was held on October 2 to take back all the accused of political repression from detention, to re-establish the thought of right of association and to revive labor movement through united action of labor unions and mass movement organizations on one common point: fight against repression.

Attack on the right of association has gone so far as to present a bill of retrogressive revision of the Labor Union Law to the Diet. It means, in its essence, attempt of distorting and dismantling the Labor Relations Commission system itself on the pretext that the Labor Relations Commissions are actually unable to come up to its expected function and the roll as a remedy agency to deal with unfair labor practice. The aims of the attack are: to transform the Labor Relations Commissions system into an organ of civil trial in the name of rapid procedure; to institutionalize reconciliation and to undermine the principle of restoration to the status quo, to degrade Labor Relations Commition into an organ of settling labor dispute in individual worker-management relations. Let us prevent disimprovement of the Labor Union Law with all of our power!

Rise up for struggle with the three labor unions in the workplaces, communities and industries

KAN-NAMA has been promoting organizing of workers and dealers in their industry and succeeded in securing the life, right and employment in the paste cement industry where the monopolizing enterprises prevail. In the Spring Labor Offensive, KAN-NAMA's demands have been met through strikes on all business sites in Osaka prefecture and many struggles against union busting and dismissal have been carried out.

DORO-CHIBA waged 80 hours' strike in spring and prevented planned outsourcing. Now it is preparing a fresh strike to stop the abolition of a railway yard, the bastion of the union.
MINATO-GODO has been fighting to win dispute on bankruptcy and against union busting. It has resorted to the labor law as opposed to the bankruptcy law in its unflinching struggle against bankruptcy offensive, and accused the companies of their responsibility for bankruptcy and dismissal through expanded interpretation of the concept of employer and through workplace occupation.

Let us build up a fresh unity in workplaces and communities overcoming difference between public and private sectors and labor national centers. Let us form labor unions in non-unionized workplaces. Let us organize irregular workers. Anger and demands of workers against restructuring, dismissal and bankruptcy offensive are boiling up. We are required to cope with this and to organize this into unity and struggle. Even if the number is small, we can open a perspective for victory when we go on fighting, employing the right of unity.

Let's create a real militant united front and international solidarity!

It is important to make a real militant united front now against enemies' attack that would decouple militant force, obliterate individual, break out right of association by the root. In the past red purge, now "extremist" bushing is used as means of enemies.

The basic premise of labor union is freedom of thought and creed. The fundamental principle is to struggle against capital, authorities and enemies, clarifying the relation to them, strengthening the organized solidarity. Interest of workers is one and the same. Putting aside affiliations to the national centers or umbrella organizations, RENGO, ZENROREN or ZENROKYO, we will unite for common purpose under the principle of labor union. Respecting each other's organization and movement, reserving difference and increasing agreement, let's make a real militant united front!

The wish of struggling workers is one and the same. It is to fight, in anger against war and capitalist offensive, for a society without discrimination and poverty, and for a world where workers become masters. Les us build up a militant united front at home; let us consolidate international solidarity. The struggle against globalism and against war on Iraq suggest that only in the joint transnational struggle of workers is a road to this supreme purpose.

Let's advance the struggle of workers and international solidarity against mass unemployment and war!
Long live the international solidarity of workers in Korea, U.S. and Japan!


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November 9, 2003 Appeal

1) We are facing a great turning point of the times. War is justified in the name of eliquidating terrorismf and naked imperialist policy is prevailing in the whole world. In Iraq massacre and destruction is going on, provoking intense indignation of people there.

2) The Koizumi administration has stepped into a renewed path to war by the legislation of three Emergency Laws. Actually, the Japanese government has promised the Bush administration to offer 5 billion dollars for war expenditure and is planning to send the Self Defense Forces to Iraq where war still continues. Organized Chauvinist propaganda against the North Korea (Democratic Peoplefs Republic of Korea) is flooding the Japanese society and the next war is in preparation. In this situation a lot of political and social powers are joining into a front of national unity with the Democratic Party as well as the RENGO (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) supporting the Emergency Laws.

3) The Koizumi administration and corporate leaders are now attempting to dismantle the postwar labor legislation and to go through a large scale privatization of public corporations, thrusting working class into a stormy situation of restructuring, bankruptcy, dismissal, wage cut and unstable employment. Besides, social security system is going to be violently broken up. In eA New Vision of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizationsf (eOkuda Visionf) published in January 2003, an all-out war was declared, openly demanding labor unions to surrender and transform themselves for the survival of the state and capital. Their attack is focused upon destruction and liquidation of the right of association. Actually the right of association is in danger and Article 28 of the Constitution as well as the Trade Union Law itself are coming under attack.

4) Militant labor movement is put under escalating attack by means of criminal punishment, civil injunction, claim for damages etc., thereby exercise of the right of association and right of strike being regarded as criminal acts. Besides, repressive legislation is going to be systematically carried on such as legislation of the Law against Conspiracy.

5) The struggle of the fired 1047 National Railway workers for withdrawal of their dismissal is reaching a decisive stage. The right of all the workers and future of labor movement depend upon this struggle.
Members of KOKURO, who appealed on the Extraordinary Convention of the Union in May, 2002 to continue the struggle, have been arrested by police and forced to long-term detention. The Convention of KOKURO last September forcibly decided to take a disciplinary measure against 22 members of the KOKURO Tosodan (Fighting Corps of dismissed workers). Immediately after the Convention, however, those union officers who imposed the decision, ran away from KOKURO to destroy the Union by their own hands through disruptive group activity.

6) Workers all over the world are now fighting to take back a power to create a new age through international unity and solidarity. Strikes and demonstrations of workers and people are spreading like wildfire throughout the world against the rule of imperialism which imposes war, poverty, and mass unemployment upon the world in the name of eglobalizationf. In Japan also we are witnessing a steady step forward of a new struggle, as has been illustrated by the recent struggle against the Emergency Laws, which developed overcoming hindrances and barriers between different national centers of labor and by an epoch-making success of this international solidarity rally of Japanese, US and Korean workers. On the other side, the RENGO, which is deepening its adherence to capital, confesses that it faces a critical situation of collapse from the basis. Anger is flaming up ; time has come to rehabilitate labor movement.

7) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is now waging an all-out struggle: today a workersf rally is being held with hundred thousand participants to prepare for a general strike on November 12th, opposing severe repression of Roh Moo-Hyun administration, even surpassing the late military dictatorship in its brutality, such as repeated claim for damages, seizure of the property/wage of unionists for every industrial action, mass dismissal, arrests and detention etc., which caused successive self-immolation (self-burning) of fellow workers. US workers headed by International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have been developing a powerful struggle against war, repression and privatization in defiance of invoking of Taft-Hartley Act; the Bush administration is trembling at their struggle. Today we have pledged to build up a strong bond of solidarity of Japanese, US and Korean workers. Internationally unified struggle is the very power to prevent aggressive war drive of Bush and Koizumi administrations on North Korea. Another urgent task of internationally unified struggle is to stop Japanese governmentfs imposition on the South Korean government to revise the labor laws as a condition for the conclusion of Japan-South Korean Free Trade Agreement.

8) Fighting workers are one in their common aspiration. Struggle of united labor is the sole power to defend lives and rights of workers, to stop the war and to change this unbearable society. Let us unite to achieve a society in which the workers become true masters of the society and neither discrimination nor poverty remains. Let us create a fighting united front, not allowing division and isolation, putting aside internal differences, consolidating common stand and overcoming every obstacle.

Defeat war driving and Constitution revising Koizumi administration by the unity of all the workers! Let us advance cross-border solidarity and unified struggle of Japan, US and Korean workers and create a nation-wide network of fighting labor unions! Let us start for the struggle against dispatch of the Self Defense Forces to Irak and for the 2004 Spring Labor Offensive!

Let us create a nation-wide network of fighting labor unions!
For international labor solidarity against a large-scale unemployment and war!
November 9th All Workersf Rally for General Offensive


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