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J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>
The 'JIN' J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>
A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends in Japan.<br>
Issue No. 512 Tuesday July 14, 2009, Tokyo<br>
<br>
You really have to hand it to the French - no single country does<br>
dramatic industrial disputes like them. Usually it’s farmers doing<br>
things like <a href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/France-Dairy-Farmers-Dump-Milk-And-Manure-In-Protest-At-Low-Prices/Article/200905315284583">dumping manure</a> in front of government buildings. Usually <br>
it gives sub-editors the chance to think up <a href="http://archive.deseretnews.com/archive/714034/Angry-French-farmers-dump-on-McDonalds-They-use-manure-to-protest-US-trade-sanctions.html">clever headlines</a> like “French <br>
farmers DUMP on MacDonalds” (get it?) But it seems in a post-Lehman <br>world, weapons like manure are no longer effective. That’s why workers <br>at a French car parts supplier have instead rigged their plant with gas <br>
canisters and are<a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/88b42742-6fd2-11de-b835-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1"> threatening to blow up the plant</a>. The employees of <br>engine parts maker New Fabris are demanding that the supplier’s two <br>
biggest clients Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen pay 30,000 pounds <br>to each of the 366 workers facing unemployment.<br>
<br>
This dispute follows a wave of boss-nappings earlier in the year.<br>
While barricading your boss is nothing new in France (in fact it could<br>
be seen as a national past-time), increased tensions have meant more<br>
and more bosses are finding themselves locked up by angry workers.<br>
It’s not always so bad, not bad if you’re the boss of Moet and Chandon<br>
and you are stuck in your office with a fridge of company’s famous<br>
champagne, as happened in 1993. This <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/36e87f76-4552-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html">Financial Times article</a> gives a<br>
good background on the broader issue.<br>
<br>
In Japan, as observers, we’re sometimes insulated from the tensions <br>that such a major downturn brings. Unemployment figures are rising <br>and just from anecdotal evidence, it seems that a lot of non-permanent <br>workers are landing less and less work. One 26-year-old construction <br>
worker I talked to said he was down to about two shifts a week. At an <br>average of about 8000 yen a day that doesn’t leave a lot of money for <br>rent and bills and other expenses.<br>
<br>
Apparently the number of homeless has been steadily declining since<br>
the mid 90s but I have a feeling that statistics will prove that there<br>
has been an increase since September last year. Certainly there were<br>
mass layoffs in Nagoya, home of manufacturers including Toyota.<br>
<br>
The French workers certainly know how to bring attention to<br>
themselves. I guess that threatening to blow up your production plant<br>
is a surefire way to get people’s attention…<br>
<br>
Renault and Peugeot have both said that they will not give into the<br>
demands of the workers. Meanwhile Industry Minister Christian Estrosi<br>
offered to meet with workers to discuss the situation but later<br>
withdrew his invitation saying that while the threat to blow up the<br>
plant remained, there would be no negotiation.<br>
<br>
There has been some dispute as to whether the threat is real or not<br>
but the hardliner unionists insist that they will not back down.<br>
<br>
But, whether or not the threat is an empty one, it’s illustrative of<br>
the continuing fallout that is occurring in the manufacturing<br>
industries across the globe. When the French are unhappy, you know<br>
about. Of course Japan is no stranger to violent industrial disputes,<br>
but the days of protestors and police clashing over picket lines ended<br>
in the mid-70s. I would be surprised if we saw any dung flinging or<br>
boss-napping in Japan but no doubt, the feeling among workers is<br>
somewhat similar. While we are starting to see the sentiment of the<br>
manufacturers themselves improve, the lay-offs will continue for<br>
sometime and the longer the grind, the more stress that will be placed<br>on society and in the minute - the family.<br>
<br>
Michael Condon<br>
Editor-in-chief<br>
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The Okayama seminar, entitled 'Innovative Business Leaders<br>
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