JCM to Demand Pay-Scale Hike of 12,000 Yen or More in 2025

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions said on Tuesday that it will demand a record-high pay-scale increase of 12,000 yen or more in next year's "shunto" annual spring labor negotiations.

The JCM, an organization that groups labor unions in the automobile, electronics and three other industries in the country, aims to ensure that wage increases exceed the rate of inflation.

"We are at a crossroads as to whether we can consistently provide a virtuous cycle for the Japanese economy and a sense of security to consumers," JCM Chair Akihiro Kaneko said at a press conference in Tokyo, referring to next year's shunto talks. "With its two million members, the JCM will lead (wage hikes)," he said.

This will be a 12th consecutive year for the JCM to demand a pay-scale increase. Next year's shunto talks are expected to go into full swing as early as February.

The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, the largest umbrella organization of labor unions in the country, has said that it will demand a wage increase of 5 pct or more, including a pay-scale hike, in the 2025 shunto.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]