Departments
SHUNTOO
春闘
“spring offensive”
In Japan, the relationship between labor and corporate management has traditionally been non-confrontational. Most economists agree that this has been one of the contributing factors in the postwar success of the Japanese economy. Japanese firms seldom suffer lengthy strikes. Labor union members regard other companies--not their management--as their main adversaries.
Despite this comparatively harmonious relationship, Japanese labor unions do negotiate with their management. Each spring the unions renegotiate contracts that are due to expire, in the so-called “spring offensive.” The offensive may occasionally involve a strike or a work stoppage. Such disruptions, however, usually last no more than a few hours.
Over time, the unions’ reluctance to strike has translated into considerable benefits for Japanese manufacturers. Toyota Motor Company, for example, experienced no lost hours because of strike activity throughout the entire decade of the 1960s.
The first “spring offensive” was carried out by Japan’s Sohyo union in 1955. Sohyo made the shuntō an annual event. Several years passed, though, before other unions joined Sohyo in the protest. The mass cooperation of unions was crucial. Japan’s unions are organized on an enterprise basis, and the nationwide spring offensive gives them the capability to exert influence as a single, unified body.