Rengo international symposium: Quality public services and the role of trade unions

Quality public services are essential to maintaining and improving the standard of living. The most optimal way to secure the quality is to improve governance and transparency through social dialogue.

In particular, autonomous industrial relations to determine decent working conditions for public employees play a crucial role.

However, fundamental workers’ rights for public employees, including the right to collective bargaining, are restricted in Japan as a peculiar case over the world. Turning eyes to overseas, there are cases of threatening decent work for public employees, for example, by reduction of public expenditures at the request of austerity policy and/or, privatization under the name of structural reform.

RENGO will organise an international symposium for the purpose of getting an overview of the application of international standards relevant to public employees in Japan and overseas as well as at discussing the role of trade unions in ensuring quality public services.

Date & Time: Tuesday, 24 February 2015 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Venue: THE GRAND HALL (Shinagawa Grand Central Tower, 2-16-4 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Language: English and Japanese – Simultaneous interpretation

Programme (tentative):

Opening remarks by Nobuaki Koga, RENGO President

Keynote speeches:

- “A secure society based on work” and quality public services
Taro MIYAMOTO, Professor in Law, Chuo University

- Fundamental rights for Japanese public employees from the international context
Yozo YOKOTA, President of the Center for Human Rights Education and Training / Former Member of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations of the ILO

Panel discussion:

Explanation: How to proceed with the panel discussion
Moderator: Taro MIYAMOTO, Professor in Law, Chuo University
Country reports (Japan, UK, Canada)

Discussion on: 1) the role of trade unions in maintaining quality of public services under financial difficulties; and 2) the significance of universal labour standards on the basis of the variety in public employees’ systems among countries.

- Tsuneo UJIIE, JICHIRO, Japan
- Matt DYKES, TUC, UK
- Keith REYNOLDS, CUPE, Canada
- Hiroshi YOSHIDA, Senior Staff Writer, The Mainichi Newspapers
Closing: Rikio KOZU, RENGO General Secretary

Japan tripartite on strike
download
open
Plan of Action
download
open