INTERVIEW: Small Makers Not Ruling Out Strikes in "Shunto"

Tokyo, Dec. 30 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese Association of Metal, Machinery and Manufacturing Workers, or JAM, does not rule out the possibility of member unions going on strike in the 2025 "shunto" spring wage negotiations, the JAM leader has said.

JAM, made up mainly of labor unions of small and midsize companies in the machinery and metals sectors, expect "tough" labor-management wage negotiations amid a slowdown of the Chinese economy, JAM leader Katahiro Yasukochi said in a recent interview.

"We hope (member unions) will negotiate assertively without ruling out the possibility of carrying out strikes," Yasukochi stated.

Compared with the 2024 shunto talks, which resulted in substantial wage hikes, the upcoming negotiations "are expected to be tough as the automobile industry and semiconductor-related businesses, particularly those in China, are struggling, Yasukochi said.

"Labor and management may have conflicting views," he said. But referring to the severe labor shortages in Japan, he added that "the situation where wages have to be raised still continues."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]