Japan Union Chief Calls for Ishiba to Step Up Wage Hike Efforts
- Rengo head says more needs to be done to help small companies
- Around 70% of Japan’s workforce is employed by smaller firms
This article is for subscribers only.
The head of Japan’s largest labor union is calling for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government to accelerate efforts to boost wages, especially for workers at small firms, as they seek to achieve stronger results for next year’s pay negotiations.
“We want the government to create an environment that leads to pay gains,” said Tomoko Yoshino, the chair of Rengo, in an interview with Bloomberg. She said on Tuesday that a key law should be revised to help small firms pass on costs, and subsidies should be boosted to help them address severe labor shortages.