JILAF | Japan International Labour Foundation

JILAF invited 10 persons (including 6 women) from five organizations in three countries in South Asia to visit Japan from June 26 to July 9.

During their training, the participants engaged in a lively exchange of information about the labour situation in Japan and the participating countries. In the Rengo Okayama program, they showed much interest in health and welfare and the organization of women workers and nonregular workers in Japan and actively asked questions at the places visited.
In a joint session with the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS), the participants received a lecture on "Constructive Labour-Management Relations and Productivity Improvement." In the following group discussions they had a lively exchange with management trainees, thereby deepening their understanding of the common interests of labour and management and differences between them.
At Denryoku Soren (Federation of Electric Power Related Industry Workers Unions of Japan), the participants received an explanation of the electric power situation in Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake and the efforts of labour unions. At the Isogo Thermal Power Station of Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER), which is affiliated with Denryoku Soren, they inspected the inside of the generation plant and had discussions with union executives. The participants asked about the fact that in Japan industrial federations of unions do not exercise their right of collective bargaining and showed much interest when they heard how enterprise-based unions exercise that right and unify their demands and timing of action in the spring labour offensive.