Economy

Japan Electronics Union to Seek Pay Scale Hike of ￥7,000 or More

REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo
Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022.

Jiji Press

17:56 JST, January 26, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The umbrella body for labor unions at Japanese electronics makers said Thursday that it intends to demand pay scale hikes of at least ¥7,000 a month in this year’s shunto labor-management negotiations.

The amount is an increase from the ¥3,000 or more that the Japanese Electrical, Electronic & Information Union sought in last year’s shunto talks.

Masashi Jinbo, head of the union’s central committee, told a news conference that he hopes the industry’s wage negotiations “will have a ripple effect on society.”

The group’s unified pay scale demand was to be formalized at a meeting of the committee to be held in Tokyo later in the day.

The amount to be requested in this year’s negotiations is the highest in 25 years as the group aims to tackle soaring prices and boost the industry’s wage levels, which have remained low for a long period of time.

Members of the Japanese Electrical, Electronic and Information Union include unions at Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp.