Social movement unionism in contemporary Japan: Coalitions within and across political boundaries

Abstract

This article on social movement unionism in Japan examines the particular ways in which labor unions form coalitions when undertaking disputes that concern the dismissal of blue-collar temporary agency workers. The triangular employment arrangement nullified the right of labor unions that represent the temporary agency workers to bargain with the user corporations. Against this predicament, labor unions formed alliances by flexibly negotiating the divisions that exist among labor. Labor unions in Japan are largely grouped under national labor federations and by their ties to political parties. Labor unions formed coalitions within the federation boundaries but also found creative ways to bridge across federation membership in an effort to rebuild its associational power. Civil society groups served as a glue that drew in unions across national federation memberships.

Social action as ‘a total social phenomenon’: Comparing leadership challenges facing community-based labour organizations in China and Japan

“…Such a marginalized presence has much to do with the fatal defeat of key union movements in the post-war labour struggles, historically inherited ideological conflicts between union factions and state-controlled civil society, which, together with the employer-dominated enterprise unionism, generate Japan’s ‘liberal yet weak institutional frameworks’ (Royle and Urano, 2012: 619). To be sure, they present considerable impediments to building robust and durable ‘labour associational power’ across organizational and union-affiliation boundaries (Kojima, 2017). In particular, the distinct factionalism at multiple levels is a major contributing factor to Japan’s increasingly patchy and fragmented labour movement landscape.…”

The political agency and social movements of Japanese individually-affiliated unions

“…While individually-affiliated unions have attempted to overcome the limits of enterprise unionism and redefine the objectives of the labour movement as the improvement of the working conditions of all workers, few of them have been active in forming coalitions with civil society organizations (Suzuki, 2012: 70). If they do, it is often on an ad-hoc basis, partly because of the underdeveloped civil society in Japan (Fukui, 2005;Kojima, 2017;Suzuki, 2008: 493-494).…”

“…While individually affiliated unions have attempted to overcome the limits of enterprise unionism and redefine the objectives of the labour movement as the improvement of the working conditions of all workers, few of them have been active in forming coalition with civil society organizations(Suzuki, 2012: 70). If they do, it is often on an ad hoc basis, partly because of the underdeveloped civil society in Japan(Fukui, 2005;Kojima, 2017; Suzuki, 2008: 493 494).Japanese individually affiliated unions represent a variety of workers but some of them have organized a certain type of marginalized workers. For example, Shutoken Seinen Union (Tokyo Metropolitan Youth Union) has organized young workers among others, Women's Union Tokyo has organized female workers, and Zentōitsu Workers Union (All united Workers' Union) has organized migrant workers among others.…”