61679 During that meeting, they confirmed the agenda for the spring wage negotiations.
61680 On that day, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) also convened the extended Central Struggle Committee and fixed the "peak" of the spring offensive, when individual unions will receive management responses concerning wage hikes.
61681 Since the current recession began, management has kept labor under its control in terms of wage hikes.
61682 Takeshi Nagano, Chairman of Nikkeiren, the management's designated headquarters for labor policies and strategy planning, has already launched the "zero-increase" policy.
61683 He had successfully kept a tight rein on labor for the past three years with the same slogan.
61684 To turn the Japanese economy around, Nikkeiren emphasizes that no wage increase must be offered for the time being.
61685 At the same time, the report, titled "Revitalization of the Japanese Economy and Challenges for Employers, Labor and Management" presented by the Nikkeiren's labor issue study committee at the general meeting states as follows.
61686 "Wage determination commensurate with productivity and solvency," "Look at employment, work hours and wage together as a whole," and "Maintain and improve the real wage by reduction of prices."
61687 Breaking the "follow-the-herd" wage increase formula of the spring labor offensive is the message at the core of the report.
61688 Further, the tone carried through in this report is the recognition that Japan has become a complete and total "high-cost" country.
61689 As contributing factors, it cites the low productivity of industries under protection and regulations, still overly expensive land prices, and the high appreciation of the yen generated by the lopsided economical structure with a central focus on the two foregoing points.
61690 On the other hand, by now everyone says that the Japanese economy has matured and points out that the hollowing out of industry is in progress.
61691 Drastic deregulations should be carried out.
61692 Markets should be boldly opened.
61693 Unless we expose all industries to international competition, Japan's economy will remain in a rut.