Top

UpdateHistory

Content List

Link

AutoTranslate

"Daily DORO-CHIBA", issued by Doro-chiba (Railway worker's trade union)

No5717, 10 July 2003
....Repeated injury accident - report from Makuhari branch

No.5756, October 12, 2003
....International unity to confront the big unemployment and the war


====================================================
....REPEATED INJURY ACCIDENT - REPORT FROM MAKUHARI BRANCH
"Daily DORO-CHIBA", No5717, 10 July 2003
http://www.doro-chiba.org/nikkan_dc/n2003_07_12/n5717.htm
====================================================

IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL ACCIDENT!
BUT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT REACT ANYTHING SERIOUSLY.

"National security campaign week" started from the 1st of July, and ended at the 7th of July without any accidents. In Makuhari rail district, however, we have had grave accidents and injury accidents.

After April, the beginning of fiscal year, we have had accidents as:
- touched a high-voltage MS and burned right arm and right ear in May,
- Cut fingers to tendon film while cutting work in June,
- broke the hipbone after the downfall from the stairs while cleaning work in June, 3 days after the previous accident.


ACCIDENTS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL

Especially, the electrification accident in 15th of May was so serious and could have been fatal one.

The accident happened this way:
An apprentice for traffic examination control checked number21 (183 series, 6 coaches) at traffic line No1. He finished vacant notch inspection at the driver seat of the train bound for east. He confirmed that he attached a cover for the device under floor. He was about to go up and out of the pit when the examining hammer he had touched the high-voltage MS of switch box. Arc occurred and made him burned. Electricity ran from MS+ to MS- via the hammer he had and moved 6-coach-train. He was given first aid and moved by an ambulance to a hospital.
The traffic examination was cancelled. Police and railway company branch in charge inspected on the spot, and (seemed to) discuss about countermeasure.


COMPANY'S MAKUHARI TRAIN DISTRICT HAVE DONE NOTHING

Following morning, at the time of morning muster, we had no company's district boss's speech, but just had simple report about the accident and the injury status. Workers there wondered whether the company really recognized this as grave accident, whether they really think about their employees' safety. Rage started to surge.

The workers asked their natural demands: They could not work till deputy stationmaster come and the countermeasure is set.

The deputy stationmaster came and said: "Get started now anyway. We will hold safety conference and set the countermeasure after you finish the traffic examination." The workers criticize him and said: "Can you take responsibility if we have the similar electrification accident as we have no decision!?"

Workers discussed and decided urgent safety measure:
- No rising of pantograph till all parts be finished.
- Attach temporal cover on switch box.
- After vacant notch, do the inspection while pantograph is lowered.
This is not enough but they started the inspection activity.

Safety conference lasted even after the time of supposed time, and they talked in order not to have this sort of accidents ever again. What was set at the safety conference was supposed to be printed on the activity table and be handed to all the members including those who were not there. None of us received the table so far, even after 2 months have passed. Bosses say that they asked to put new covers on high-voltage switch box, but so far, no covers.


WE HAVE TO FIGHT TO KEEP OUR OWN SAFTY

The company says "We have to exterminate injury accidents", but do nothing in serious manner. They say "Examination of the reason, rather than accusation", but try to shift the blame to the injured worker. We had collective bargaining with company branch, but they ended up to say: "Unique accident", "No preventive manoeuvre". We have learned that we have to keep our own safety through the fighting.

The reasons we think are:
- "Profit comes first" type of Company's stance after the privatization.
- Close relationship between the company and JR-Soren.
- Licence system which accepts just JR-Soren members.
- Especially, the way to teach new workers who have been hired after the privatization.

Newly hired workers with just 3-months experience are asked to have examination hammers to do inspections, workers with just 1-year experience are asked to teach as instructors, workers just 1 week after full-fledged are asked to become instructors... those kind of things could not have been dreamt of at the time of JNR period. In those days, it took 20 years to hold examination hammers.

Small groups, proposals, competitions, publications, exams, correspondences - those things precede works on the spot... Accidents will continue in those situations. It is only DORO-CHIBA who can fight and keep safety.

All workers in railway, break with JR-Soren, fight together with us to keep safety and our work!
Let's make DORO-CHIBA of new generation in order to tackle with the new era of unemployment and war!

Return to the top of this page

=================================================================
....INTERNATIONAL UNITY TO CONFRONT THE BIG UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE WAR
The Daily Doro-Chiba No.5756 (October 12, 2003)
http://www.doro-chiba.org/nikkan_dc/n2003_07_12/n5756.htm
=================================================================

Now we are standing on a big turning point of the times. Bush, Koizumi and Blair, they force the world "war and big unemployment". And the voice of anger is roaring all over the world against them.

We are facing the times that we cannot live without fighting on. The struggle of DORO-CHIBA is resonant with this voice of anger and we are ready to have workers' rally in November as an international solidarity rally of United States, South Korea and Japan workers.

And this day falls on a general election vote day unexpectedly. The majority of the second Koizumi cabinet is super hawkish and the extreme Right. It's the cabinet to wage war and to revise the Constitution. On the other hand, the Democratic Party (which merged Ozawa's Liberal Party) also raises a manifesto insisting revision of the Constitution and thorough deregulation and privatization. A street will be swept over by a flood of "war and the Constitution revision" campaign. In fact this is the first "Election of no opposition party" after World War II.

We raise a voice of anger in Nov/9 rally in such a situation. Our polling place is Hibiya outdoor concert hall.
Let's block aggression war to North Korea with international solidarity through United States, South Korea and Japan.

------------------------------------------
Slogans
------------------------------------------

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

* Let's make up the struggle "No completion of, No invocation of, No obedience to emergency legislation"! Let's stop the Self-Defense Force dispatch to Iraq and stop the war of aggression to North Korea!

* Let's smash arrest attack to KOKURO (the National Railway Workers' Union) members and let's win in 1047 KOKURO discharge withdrawal struggle by solidarity of all workers!

* Let's smash the police oppression to the labor movement intended to destroy the right of organization and stop the establishment of conspiracy crime by solidarity of all workers!

* Let's develop solidarity and cooperative struggle of workers across the border of United States, South Korea and Japan!

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

Let's make a nationwide network of fighting labor unions!

------------------------------------------
Speakers includes:
------------------------------------------

- From United States:
Steve Zeltzer, Campaign Against Taft-Hartley, Repression & Privatization
Paul C. Jensen, UTU (United Transportation Union)
Russell K. Miyashiro, Local-34 Secretary-Treasurer, ILWU
(ILWU: International Longshore and Warehouse Union)

- From South Korea:
Go Jong Hwan, President of Seoul Area Local, KCTU
Kim Chang Seob, Vice president of Seoul Area Local, KCTU
Mun Mun Ju, Director of organization, KCTU
(KCTU: Korean Confederation of Trade Unions)

- From Japan, Greetings of Solidarity;
Akio Sato, Group against 27/May Suppression at KOKURO Provisional Conference
Shunkichi Takayama, Society to realize Japan Federation of Bar Associations
for the Constitution and human rights
Norio Odawara, Block the road to war-One Million Signature Campaign
And others

------------------------------------------
Date and venue
------------------------------------------

NOV/9 ALL OVER JAPAN RALLY OF THE WORKERS
Venue: HIBIYA outdoor concert hall, Tokyo, JAPAN
Date: Sunday, November 9, 2003. Starts from 12:00 noon

Called by:
KAN-NAMA (Solidarity union of construction & transport workers KANSAI branch)
MINATO-GODO (Metal and machinery workers' union in OSAKA)
DORO-CHIBA (National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba

Return to the top of this page