Japanese base workers postpone strikes

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Japanese base workers postpone strikes
By Hana Kusumoto and Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday December 13, 2007

TOKYO — Japanese workers at U.S. bases battling against their government’s plan to cut their pay postponed a series of all-day strikes scheduled Wednesday through Friday.

The strikes, to be held at U.S. military bases in Japan and on Okinawa, will now be held Monday through Wednesday, Tsuneo Teruya, secretary-general of the Zenchuro labor union’s headquarters in Tokyo, said Tuesday.

No settlement was reached between the union and Ministry of Defense representatives during negotiations Monday, said Hiroshi Zamami, chairman of Zenchuro’s Okinawa chapter.

Ministry representatives are proposing to pay workers 30 percent of salary allowances, which make up 10 percent of an individual’s pay, for the next five years before abolishing the allowance system, Zamami said.

“The gap is still large to fill, and the offer is unacceptable by any measure,” he said. “Yet, under the present circumstances, we judged that we won’t be able to expect any better answer even if we go on a strike at this time.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50927