JILAF invited a total of nine persons from five organizations in three South Asian countries to visit Japan from June 3 to 16---three from International Trade Union Confederation-Bangladesh Council (ITUC-BC), two from the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), two from the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), one from the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), and one from the National Trade Union Federation of Sri Lanka (NTUF).

The participants actively engaged in the lectures, visits, discussions, and other activities and, through the training, were able to learn about the importance of mutual respect in labour-management relations.

In the visits to labour-related organizations, the participants learned about such topics as (1) RENGO’s (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) view of social security policy; (2) the three principles of the productivity movement; (3) the mechanism of the Shizuoka Prefecture Labour Relations Commission; (4) the revision process for the regional minimum wage in Shizuoka Prefecture; (5) job-seeker benefits and training benefit schemes at Hello Work Shizuoka; (6) the labour policy of Unyu Roren (All Japan Federation of Transport Workers’ Unions) toward ensuring employment stability; and (7) efforts by the Yamato Transport Union to improve working conditions and the working environment through labour-management consultations.

In the case of India, although the right to collective bargaining is guaranteed, employers have no legal obligation to recognize unions or engage in collective bargaining, and the country has not yet ratified the core Convention No. 98 of the International Labour Organization (on the right to organize and collective bargaining). Therefore, the participants showed much interest in the Japanese mechanism for settling labour-management disputes and engaged in lively discussions. In the case of Bangladesh, since there are several national centers jostling together, one of the main issues in that country is the promotion of solidarity and organization. In the case of Sri Lanka, meanwhile, since public-sector and private-sector unions there are not calling for unification, the participants especially showed interest in the history of RENGO’s formation in Japan.

The participants made such comments as “I want to use what I have learned in Japan for the sake of unorganized workers” and “The role of Hello Work is important, and I would like to introduce it in my own country as well.”
List of Cooperating Organizations