From the article of 'Petrel'
No.596 / September 8, 1996
Please
send us your opinion and the impression about this article without reservation.
Though the workers stood up
The struggle of "Employers and employees cooperation" of SSK
The struggle for "Independence" to the class struggle!
********
An untimely "Worker's struggle" develops in the Sasebo Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (the following is abbreviated as SSK, about 1,700 union members)
The origin is that the U.S. Navy is planning the use of the third dock of SSK during half a year to repair the assault landing warship Bellowood based on the agreement of the Japan-U.S. position.
The reason why this is to be the problem is "the forcing dock in that the company does not agree connects with the management crisis" (labor union) because the ship of which SSK gets orders is not able to be build and repaired by this dock use while the term.
Though it is an event in one region, I want to clarify a general problem there reporting on this "Struggle."
********
1. The "Struggle" of employers and employees cooperation
On the 24th at the downtown in the city, the union hoisted a cross banner written as "Bellowood, does not force to lie up the third dock of SSK" and distributed 5,000 of handbills insisted "We worry about the causing of the life uneasy of about 10,000 of the employee and the family, the cooperation trader, and the influence to the region economy."
In addition, the urgent all members union rally of 3,000 person scale was held temporary against the forcing use in the third dock from five o'clock on the 29th.
Chairman Tsuge of SSK labor union "Roaikai" (the Workers' Love Association) sued, "Including the family in the related company, the life of 10,000 persons threatened by the use of a long term," adopted the resolution as "Obstruction with force of lying up of no mutual agreement" with unanimity, surrounded the dock of 900m in surroundings by "the People's chain" and raised the spirit.
Moreover also in the sea in the surrounding, 11 tugboats that assumed the obstructing action to the forcing of lying up the dock sounded the whistle of the protest with flying of the crossing banner that had been written, "The third dock is lifeline of SSK" and the like, the crisis feeling was stirred up.
However, the participants in this "Struggle" are not only the workers.
This is "the struggle" of the employers and employees cooperation in which many people of the company side, such as the president Ryutarou Hasegawa, and of the subcontracts and related traders also participated.
The president Hasegawa raised a voice in this meeting, "I defend the third dock for defending your life right and Japanese independence."
Moreover, He visited the mayor Mitutake and expressed his "Confrontation posture" on the 27th, "The negotiation (with the U.S.Army) has broken down completely.
I want you to assist because I have come to tell my determination.
SSK will collapse if the third dock will be used.
We will fight with becoming one both the employers and the employees. I will obstruct even if I remain in the dock only one.
I told the American side to get in after killing me."
The mayor answered to this, "Though there is the agreement of the Japan-U.S. position, there is no relief plan for the losing profit of the company. If the security treaty would be forced, I hardly be able to admit it as the local mayor.
I want to examine it carefully as well as the Okinawa problem so that the country might solve such problems."
The mayor of Sasebo had visited already to the Defense Facilities Administration Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 23rd and was talking, "To say commonsensibly, I have the feeling that the forcing use would not be done" in the future. Moreover, the city council schedules to petition the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the like on September 3.
2. The relation with "the Naval port" Sasebo
The standing up circumstances of the Sasebo port twine round the background of this riot.
Though Sasebo was a poor village of some 4,000 population before it is decided as a Chinjuhu (an headquarters of an army post) of the old empire navy in 1886, the population was doubled to 8,000 after three years when the Chinjuhu was opened, thereafter it has been prospering as a town of the empire navy until the defeat.
The shipbuilding part (navy shipbuilding part) was constructed in the Chinjuhu and is sold to the private organization at the defeat.
This becomes the mother's body of SSK (At first, it is called the Sasebo Ship Industry) that was established on October 1, 1946 (Showa 21) (the labor union "Roaikai" had previously established on December 1 of the previous year and worked out the capital for disposal, played a big role for the company establishment, which has such a peculiar history so that it is said that "Loyalty soul" is particularly strong).
The U.S.Army ruled in place of the navy after the war and it is succeeded after the peace agreement comes into effect.
There are still the limitation waters to A-D in the Sasebo port and the waters where some entry permission is necessary reach near 80% when the dive permission region of about 50% is included.
Especially the A limitation waters where all entry permission is necessary account for 8.5 %, in which the Tategami second quay to fifth quay and the Akasaki quay are included, too.
Because SSK borrows and operates a part of the U.S.Army base, SSK is supposed to have to clear out according to the agreement of 1978 years within 12 hours when the U.S.Army needs it.
Similarly, the first dock was sold to SSK and the second dock was commonly use with the U.S.Army. (Japan-U.S. combination committee of 1976 years)
The third dock in question was restored in 1968 years, when a certain use agreement was concluded according to the Japan-U.S. position agreement.
(I could not examine this detailed content until the moment to write. The issue above depends on 'Chronology of Sasebo port', the Chronology of the Sasebo port publication association, September 10, 1995, written by Akihiko Shiki)
3DShipbuilding industry in the postwar days and falling SSK
The direct cause of the dispute at this time is that, though the order of the repair of Bellowood was contracted in February, the U.S.Army side "insists on the method along the rule of the U.S. Navy" to the SSK side that requested "the same commercial base as a private ship" about the method of proceeding the construction, the negotiation during half a year is in the breakdown on this August 14. (the Nagasaki Newspaper)
SSK has been always concerned with the army in some area through before and after the war, so the riot at this time can be called as "inevitable" situation on the extension line of such details, too.
However, it might have to be said the deeper root of the dispute is in the fall of SSK in the shipbuilding industry.
The shipbuilding industry repeats violent ups and downs through before and after the war by the peculiar structure of the industry, too. (It is not possible to correspond to the change of the demand and supply promptly because it takes several years to manufacture a huge building)
Moreover, it might be characteristic that the most twins with the war and the disturbance.
To see only postwar days, though it occupied the position of the third world place in the construction results in 1941, the results of complete constructing in 1946 term was only 107 thousand total tons and did not reach even the one-quarter of the one of prewar days." (The following figures depend on 'Japanese industrial history' 1-4 volumes, the Nikkeibunnko, etc.)
To brake this predicament, the government established "the Ship Public Corporation" in April, '47, promoted "Planed shipbuilding," and started the creation of demand personally.
The shipbuilding industry was lucky enough to be revived by special procurements in the Korea war.
It appears to that the amount of the construction in '53 terms when the war is concluded reached at 664 thousand tons and recovered the prewar days' peak.
However, the business retreat by the war conclusion brought the difficulty to the shipbuilding industry again.
To break down this wall, it was necessary to continue "Planed shipbuilding" and moreover to reduce the internationally expensive ship value.
Therefore, the government reduced the interest cost of the shipowner by "the Interest replenishment act" (abbreviation) in '53 and the Japan Bank also reduced a part of the lending interest rate to the iron and steel industry for the reduction of the price of the steel material for shipbuilding.
On the other hand, rationalization by the modernization of the industrial method etc. advanced in the shipbuilding industry and the values of the ninth latter term ship fell even 15% more than the eighth ship.
Thus the shipbuilding industry of Japan sprung up to the best seat in the world after 1956.
In the meantime, the "Shipbuilding scandal" case occurs in '54.
This is a corruption case that the shipbuilding and marine transportation industry did for above-mentioned "the Interest replenishment act" and the acquisition of the plan shipbuilding allocation.
The economic retreat after the Korea war had brought a shock to SSK, so SSK put out a dishonored bill in November, '53, and stated the company arrangement.
Taiyo Fishery Co., Ltd. saved this predicament, and SSK was reproduced as the subsidiary firm after '56, built "Nisshou Maru" (132 thousand tons) the world-biggest tanker then at '62, and showed progress as to enter the eight shipbuilding big business.
Nippon Kokan that marked down this bought stocks from Taiyo Fishery Co., Ltd. and made business cooperation at '66.
However, the hardship visited again. The shipbuilding industry sustained the exchange loss of 257 billions yen (SSK was 1.4 billions yen) of half two years of the pure profit of the entire shipbuilding industry in dollar shock of '71 years. The oil shock of '73 years worsened further, the suspension of new order of the tanker, and the cancellation of the construction holdings was successive.
At this time, each company of shipbuilding was quit delighted with the boom till then and was constructing or planning one million tons dock, the Mitsubishi Nagasaki Kouyagi factory had completed it on July, '72, SSK only acquired the site and the plan was crushed.
The entire industry had already fallen into excessive production.
Therefore, the government put out the operation degree adjustment recommendation to the 40 high-ranking companies twice of '76 and '77 years and it was severe one of reducing to 60% of three years ago for '77 terms. Still, the shipbuilding recession deepened and 19 companies like the Hatohama shipbuilding etc. went bankrupt in '77.
And, it is new in the memory that SSK also fell into the management crisis in '78, Hisao Tsubouchi in the Kurushima dock assumed office as the president after "the Relief play," and the strike struggle of 600 hours was fought in '79-80.
Though the shipbuilding industry of Japan has a violent pursuit of South Korea, it still keeps the best seat in the world.
(The new ship order amount of '95 term in South Korea is 7,763 thousands tons, and is close in the one of Japan, 8,905 thousands tons. the Roid statistics)
However it assumes the regulation and the protection of nation as lever, so there is severe actuality that if it would be abolished the further reorganization of enterprise would not able to be avoided.
Now in SSK there are less than 2,000 employee though there are 6,650 employee at the management crisis in '78, so the past days look has disappeared, too.
It might be able to be said that this decline as enterprise is in the foundation of the US warship repair problem at this time.
And yet, it might be quite clear that the cause of worker's hardship is just the capitalism.
4. How to evaluate the worker's "struggle"?
Well, it is easy to criticize that the fight of workers of SSK as "labor-capital cooperation."
"Roaikai" has shown off a thorough labor-capital cooperation principle in the repair undertaking of nuclear power ship "Mutu" and in the many rationalization problems in the past.
However, there is an experience to fight the long period strike of 600 hours with repulsing to the severe, one-man management that sacrifice the worker by Hisao Tsubouchi, too.
Though the slogan at this time was "Defend the company," too.
Indeed, the fight of "Roaikai" is thoroughly carried out by the labor-capital cooperation principle.
However, on the other hand, the fight against Tsubouchi, or also the problem at this time a violent combat was shown off as soon as thinking that their profits will be ruined.
I think that such workers' "Reality" might be extremely natural.
First, the workers should eat above all.
We cannot affirm the irresponsible end of "Miike struggle" that was fought "splendidly" with being guided by the university Marxism of the socialist association Sakisaka sect and was defeated and dispersed leaving nothing other than disappointment for the workers movement and the leftists movement.
It might be foolish to evaluate morally even if workers would act egoistically under the absent of the decisive revolutionary party.
To see such fight of the workers (if that is the fight as much as based on the principle of labor-capital cooperation), we rather feel strongly that we must put just the remarkable lag behind of the fight of our worker's revolutionary party in question.
Workers are only not to know where is their true profit.
If the fight of the true socialist sect develops, it is clear that they unite easily with the fight of SSK workers etc.
For that it is necessary to fight thoroughly against foolish opportunism such as following false revolutionary party = the Communist Party.
5. How is the Communist Party fighting?
The Communist Party proposed to the Sasebo city on 21st, and on 26th the members of the
prefectural assembly, the municipal assemblyman, and the Diet members of the local proposed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Defense Facilities Administration Agency the opposition of the forcing use of the dock, the abolition of "the Agreement of the restoration use" admitting the priority use of the dock etc. and the review of the agreement of the Japan-U.S. position, and the like.
In addition, they held the meeting in the name of "the Association of the citizens who support the fight not to permit the U.S.Army's forcing use of the SSK third dock" on the 28th, and adopted the resolution assumed to "Support of the demand of SSK, and request the withdrawal of the forcing use plan of the dock" etc.
In this meeting, Chiaki Yamashita the Sasebo municipal assemblyman fueled the leftish radical petit bourgeois pacifism as "The selection whether the complete military use or the peaceful development of the Sasebo port is pointed at citizens" (the Nagasaki Newspaper), and Toru Kasai the member of the House of Councilors visited the assistant of Sasebo city and paid compliments as "It is a problem that the local enterprises and the regional economy suffer the one-sided victim by the forcing use of the dock.
I want to match power for the revision of the agreement of the Japan-U.S. position and the agreement of the dock restoration use exceeding the unlike of the standpoint to the Japan-U.S. security treaty," thus they showed that they had degenerated into a member of the splendid bourgeois society with the Shamin party (SDP).
We do not know about the most important thing, that is, what approach the Communist Party does to the workers.
However, though every time, it is from the viewpoint of "the Race Democratic Revolution" that the Communist Party takes up such problems, and actually only from the standpoint of "the National problem" such as "the Development of regional economy", "the Promotion of the local industry", "the base of the foreign country is unnecessary for Japan", that is, from the standpoint of class cooperation and does not organize the development of an original class struggle of the workers.
There is no method as for SSK and the private labor movement even if not to support socialism in the age when such party calls itself as "the Forward party" and has a big face.
6. May develop the fight of the socialist sect!
To our regret, my prefecture organization is still weak and we cannot approach the SSK workers in real time on the present stage.
However, we will accomplish this duty without fail in the fight in the future, and it is necessary to accomplish it.
The essential is not to hold back the labor movement of the tail of bourgeoisie as the Communist Party, but to act from beginning to end consistently for the improvement of the workers' class consciousness.
We must make efforts tirelessly to produce the correct recognition about the essence of bourgeois society in the workers until they understand that the true enemy of them are the monopolistic capital and the labor-capital cooperation principle.
Though we cannot understand what the Sakisaka sect or the Shamin Party (SDP) is doing, our duty is clear.
Reinforce a new workers' party = Sharoto (the Socialist Workers Party) which replace Shakyo (JCP & SDP)!
(M, from Nagasaki)