12,000 Gather at May Day rally at Hibiya ? Appeal by workers in struggle against firing and discrimination

The“Hibiya May Day”rally, hosted by Zenrokyo National Trade UnionCouncil, was held at Hibiya Open-air Music Hall at 10 AM of May Day inthe clear sunny sky. 12,000 participants from various trade unions, suchas Kokuro (National Railworkers Union), Tokyo Sanitation Workers’ Union,Tokyo Metropolitan Municipal Workers’ Unions, Tosuiro Tokyo WaterWorkers’ Union, Yusei (Postal) Union and other small and medium unions,filled the venue. Fukushima Mizuho, the leader of the Social DemocraticParty, disclosed that the party would back up Ikeda Ikkei in the comingHouse of Representatives election, who is a member of Gatenkei Rentai(Blue-collar Workers’ Solidarity) Union and an ex-dispatched worker. Atthe meeting, workers who struggled against dismissal or discriminationspoke one after another. A Japanese Brazilian (photo) strongly appealed, “We are humans, not replaceable resources”. In addition, Kottaji, agroup of singers from South Korea, specially performed two songs,“Spells” and “Fight Back”. The participants were divided into twodemonstration courses at 11 AM.Image (UnionTube)


日比谷メーデーに12000人～首切り・差別とたたかう労働者が訴え

　快晴の5月1日午前10時、全労協などが主催する「日比谷メーデー」が、東京・日比谷野音で開催された。国労・東京清掃・区職労・東水労・郵政ユニオン・民間中小など12000人の参加者で会場があふれた。福島みずほ社民党党首は来賓の挨拶で、次期衆院選で池田一慶さん（ガテン系連帯・元派遣労働者）を擁立することを明らかにした。集会は、首切りや差別とたたかう労働者が次々に発言。日系ブラジル労働者（写真）は、「私たちは人間だ。企業の調整弁ではない」と強く訴えた。また、来日中の韓国のコッタジが特別出演し「呪文」「反撃」の2曲を披露した。11時すぎ、参加者は2つのコースに分かれてデモに出発した。 ・動画（UnionTube）