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Strike Report: No Fight, No Safety! Rise up for Spring Offensive!

WE HAVE STOOD UP FOR 2004 SPRING LABOUR OFFENSIVE STRIKE TODAY!

Today, 12th of March, our union has started strike for the victory of Spring Offensive, against "rationalization", and for driving safety.

The same day, we have held Doro-Chiba All Rise Up Rally and had 330 participants including our union members, their families, and our supporters. All in the rally renewed their resolution to expand No-cooperation fight and accomplishment of strike.

DORO-SORENGO HAVE FOUGHT TOGETHER

M. Kimidsuka, vice-president of Doro-Chiba (DC), gave an opening speech: "Shoulder to shoulder with DC, trade unions under Doro-Sorengo will stage strike. Doro-Mito goes 12 to 13 March, Doro-West Japan strikes 13 to 14 March, and Doro-Takasaki on 16 March."

Following the speech of Yasuhiro Tanaka, president of DC (see the summary below), Family group of Doro-Chiba gave a piece of flag with many contributions on it to President Tanaka.

H. Yamamoto, secretary general of Doro-Chiba Supporting Committee went up a stage and said: "I am quite sure that unity in workplace and determined fight can drill a hole in bank, and a dam, division and privatization of railway in this case, will certainly collapse. Local 34 of ILWU in US passed a solidarity resolution to DC and KCTU in South Korea. They will stage a protest at Dolores Park in San Francisco on 20 March."

S. Keshiba, councilor of Metropolitan Politics Innovation Group, made an appeal: "Unity of workers is the power to change the society. Now, people started to put an eye on JR Co.'s reckless neglect of safety measure, corrupt JR-East Union who has come shoulder to shoulder with the JR Co. and DC union's fight back. On 20 March, Let us smash Okuda (head of capitalist group) & Koizumi (PM)'s reactionary lines, and fight against occupation on Iraq in international solidarity."

M. Shinjo, chair of All-Japan Okinawa Youth Committee, also gave a flag with comments and solidarity donation to DC.

Then came a report on negotiation with the boss. An executive member of DC explained: Three min. and forty sec. schedules tightening on Sobu Regular Line triggered Higashi-Nakano fatal accident in 1988. We have to learn from this lesson. Now, we have had more than 10 troubles of ATS-P system and several rail tracks broken which could lead to another fatal accidents. But JR Co. has given us no clear response to this. Also the matter of measure when whistle is broken, and several corruptions of rule derived from government's deregulation policy, the boss has not answered clearly yet. We will demand and stick to these matters continually.

Ei'ichi Nakamura, secretary general of DC, proposed fight line for Spring Offensive as a whole including: Strike tactics on 12 to 14 March, fight at the stage of response, everyday anti-"rationalization" & driving safety fight, change the power balance in JR from below, and etc. He concluded and said: "It is important to keep fighting. We are winning every day!"

UNDER THE FLAG OF ANTI-"RATIONALIZATION" & DRIVING SAFETY, WE ARE FIGHTING TO THE VICTORY!

At workshops and resolutions from each branch, we have had many contributions:
-No fight, no safety!
-We'll fight for safe driving by our own hands!
-Let's fight back against another division & privatization!
-Freight trains run on the same tracks. Safety is our common demand.
-It's important to oppose annexation & abolition of train areas, new personnel management & wage system.

After the rally, union members and supporters leafleted and made appeals in front of JR Chiba station.

SUMMARY OF PRESIDENT TANAKA'S SPEECH

I would like to do honour to all the members who stand up for strike of Spring Offensive from today to 14 March. Total numbers of strikers in 3 days are 410, and all are fighting with firm resolution.

We are surely forwarding. We have pioneered a lot after non-cooperation fight starting February. DC has defended our right and power balance in workplace. We have risen for 4 years straight for Spring Labour Offensive as a whole union, and we have stopped the boss so far from subcontracting our works in Chiba region. As long as we keep fighting like this, we can actually stop their "another division and privatization".

Now, all the problems under JR rule have started to erupt. It is a matter of safety, short of staff, and collusion with JR-Union who kept crossing the picket line.

We need to build driving safety as soon as possible. It was the very first time that JR-East Co. has been ordered to solve the problem by the National Land and Transport Department. The NLTD pointed out and said: "JR is on the verge of serious accidents". Broken railways, troubles of ATS-P... Safety has been collapsed on its fundamental parts. We have had 228 death accidents during 16 years of JR, divided and privatized, profit first, Murderer Company.

We cannot defend safety or right without fighting. Our struggle will reveal this fact to all the workers and people. Also it will propose necessities of militant and active Spring Offensive to defend life, defend pension and defend unity right against capitalists' massive attack on wage, employment and lives of workers themselves, and against troop dispatch to Iraq.

Twenty of March is the anniversary day of Iraq war. Strike from 12 to 14 March and advance to 20 March international anti-war action together with all the workers and citizens!

DORO-CHIBA (DC): National Railway Motive Power Union of CHIBA
Email: doro-chiba@doro-chiba.org
Web: https://doro-chiba.org/

DORO-CHIBA (DC): National Railway Motive Power Union of CHIBA