Labor Welfare in Japan: Social Change and Enterprise Unionism

Japanese unions, most typically known as enterprise unions, have realized extensive fringe benefits (welfare programs) through collective bargaining, but some unions, and their upper-level councils and federations, also have created their own welfare programs, including human services such as support for people with disabilities, the aged, women and children, consultation and counseling services, and career development. A pioneering example of the Denki Rengo (Japanese Electric, Electronic and Information Union) is presented. These programs have developed over decades in response to demographic changes such as an aging population, more women in the workforce, economic prosperity and stagnation, a shift toward service industries, globalization, and a philosophic change in emphasis from mutual help to self-help. Members' needs moved from economic affairs to broader life issues, became more individualized, and shifted toward the need to be secure in work and life, to which unions had to respond. Meanwhile, the base of enterprises, thus enterprise unionism, itself eroded. Unions lost power to play the game to yield economic gains. An emerging neo-classic society requested unions to take a role of welfare providers, not receivers. Unions escaped into, or steered toward, the welfare arena. Unions' welfare programs are being transferred to upper organizations, from individual enterprise unions, in cooperation with community organizations, and now are starting to extend their services not only to their own members but also to the community in general. Lacking is social workers' involvement. Many historic social work functions today are being carried out by unionists. Social workers, however, may start working for union programs soon, if Japanese social work, which has not shown a great interest in labor unions, expands its jurisdiction.