Japan's Largest Labor Union Raises Part-Tme Wages by 6.92%

TOKYO, Mar 19 (News On Japan) - Japan’s largest labor union group UA Zensen announced that part-time workers secured a record-high average wage increase of 6.92% in this year’s spring labor negotiations as of today, marking the highest level ever recorded for this stage of the talks.

Tomoko Nagashima, chair of UA Zensen, said, "We believe this represents significant progress toward establishing around a 1% increase in real wages across society."

UA Zensen, one of the country’s largest labor organizations, represents more than 2,100 unions across sectors such as retail, food service, and textiles, with part-time workers accounting for roughly 60% of its membership.

According to the first tally released today, the average wage increase stood at 5.45% for full-time employees and 6.92% for part-time workers, with the latter setting a new record for this period.

Companies including Aeon Group, Asahi Kasei, and Toray provided full responses meeting union demands, while Toridoll, which operates chains such as Marugame Seimen, exceeded those demands.

The strong results reflect a convergence of interests between unions seeking to address rising prices and employers aiming to secure labor amid ongoing shortages.

Regarding the impact of the situation in Iran on negotiations, UA Zensen acknowledged that it could not be ruled out entirely, while also calling for talks to be brought forward and emphasizing efforts to reach early agreements.

Source: TBS

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