A magazine writer who has watched labor union for years
Social insurance and labor consultants do not often engage directly with labor unions, except when they offer expertise to clients about how to deal with labor union’s requests for collective bargaining. Normally, company attorneys play a central role in such negotiations, while labor consultants provide rear support, sorting out situations of the company’s labor management and other systems, keeping records or offering advice in their specialized areas. When a social insurance and labor consultant needs to communicate with a labor union, it is important to take a cautious approach.
One social insurance and labor consultant received a request from a company’s labor union to give lectures about the pension system, retirement package system and financial plans to young employees. Through the experience, the consultant realized that labor unions of companies and general unions in which individuals can join are completely different.
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The consultant’s account
I learned that Mr. A, whom I was personally acquainted with, had long worked with a magazine publisher for labor unions. Started in 1962, the magazine was published for over 60 years until March 2024. The company was also liquidated then. Mr. A, who joined the company in late 1980s, watched changes in society from the excitement and burst of bubble economy to the “lost 30 years” at the front line of magazine publishing. He says the magazine has recorded the history of labor unions. Based on his accounts, we will take a close look at the world of labor unions.
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■The magazine’s readership and uses
The magazine’s main readers were executives and members of active labor unions. Company sizes varied from small to large. Many readers belonged to industrial unions of manufacturing and SME’s labor union federations, while unions of large companies’ subcontractors would often offer topics for articles.
General unions (labor unions in which individuals can join) were among the readers but the number was small.
The magazine was purchased by a wide variety of labor unions. Executives and other members often used it as texts for study sessions or for information exchange or learning.
■The magazine’s aim and structure
With the aim to “provide indirect support for labor unions’ activities,” the magazine placed special emphasis on spring wage negotiations, or Shunto. Backing up Shunto was one of the magazine’s major objectives. For industrial labor unions to cooperate for wage hikes and better working conditions, it is vital to share information and analyze actual situations.
The magazine had the perspective that adequate distribution of large firms’ profits is crucial for labor unions of SMEs to achieve pay hikes. Downward pressure on prices among major companies was making it hard for small businesses to raise pay. To present this structural problem to society was one of the magazine’s important roles.
●Monthly themes
The magazine featured a broad range of monthly themes as below.
- Shunto (analyses of wage increase rates or progress of negotiations)
- Analyses of working hours, paid leave usage rates and other data
- Round-table talks with labor union leaders or researchers
- Amendments to the Labor Standards Act, commentaries
- Institutionalization of labor unions
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■ An editor’s perspective
Mr. A explained how reporters collected information and put them together as articles.
“We frequently paid visit to unions and asked directly about issues facing workers and how they were resolved.”
“Articles were made by listening to workers’ voices. We believed it was our mission to report what we saw and heard firsthand, instead of just writing at the desk.”
While watching the relationships between labor unions and companies objectively, he placed utmost importance on conveying real voices of workers.
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The next part will look at social changes from the viewpoint of workers, with Mr. A discussing “the magazine’s stance on in-depth reports” and “social affairs beyond labor issues.”
