Base workers’ union, Japanese government agree on pay-cut plan

Base workers’ union, Japanese government agree on pay-cut plan
By Hana Kusumoto and Vince Little, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, December 20, 2007

TOKYO — The labor union for Japanese base workers and the Japan government on Tuesday reached a pay-cut agreement, the union said.

Because of the agreement, the union canceled strikes that were to be held Wednesday through Friday at Japan and Okinawa bases to protest the government’s plan to abolish the workers’ allowances, which make up about 10 percent of their monthly paychecks.

The union and Ministry of Defense agreed to abolish allowances beginning April 1, with certain stipulations, said Tsuneo Teruya, secretary-general of Zenchuro headquarters in Tokyo.

The allowances include the 10 percent U.S. Forces Japan differential, which is compensation for working in a different cultural environment. Some workers also will lose language allowances, which are paid to qualified workers who use English on their jobs, according to a ministry news release. The agreement also cuts retirement allowances that exceed those of Japanese government civil service employees, it stated.

The agreement includes transitional measures since the allowances have become “subsistence pay and part of life planning” of the workers, according to a defense ministry news release.


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