We can’t celebrate the New Year! Women from Fukushima protest in front of TEPCO main office

On December 28, traditionally the last business day of the year, 40 women from Fukushima came to Tokyo on a bus to protest against TEPCO and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The action was dubbed “The Year-end Closing Action by Women”. More than 300 supporters gathered in front of the TEPCO main office. “Our lives and the environment were totally destroyed by the Fukushima crisis, yet TEPCO and the government are not held accountable for it. Moreover, they are now trying to restart the nuclear power plants and to export them. We can’t celebrate the New Year in such a mood! TEPCO should not close for a holiday!” With these convictions in our hearts, we demanded a meeting with the power company, but the company received us at the gate, leaving us standing in the cold. There were cries of anger: “Shame on TEPCO!”
The group moved to METI for the protest action and then to Ginza for a publicity action.They finally headed back to Fukushima at 4 p.m.
(Nishinaka Seiichiro)Photo: Women from Fukushima in front of the TEPCO main officeVideo: by a participant of the action from Miyagi and by Kurogane Yoshimi


こんな気持ちじゃ年を越せない！～福島の女たち 東電前で抗議アクション

12月28日、福島の女たち40人がバスで上京し、東電・経産省に対して抗議アクションを行った。名付けて「女たちの御用納め行動！！」。支援者もあわせて300人以上が集まり、東電前は一杯になった。「人生・生活・環境をめちゃくちゃに破壊 しておいて、東電および政府への責任追及も十分には行われず、その上、原発の再稼働や輸出といった信じ難い暴挙が行われようとしている。『こんな気持ちじゃ、とても年を越せない！』『東電にも、仕事納めなんかさせない！』」という吹き上がる怒りにあふれたアクションになった。要請に対して東電は、玄関前の寒いところで対応するなど冷たい対応。「ひどい」「東電の態度は悪すぎる」と怒りの声が渦巻いた。一行は、その後経産省への抗議、そして銀座でのアピールを行い、16時過ぎにバスで福島に戻った。（西中誠一郎） 写真報告・動画（宮城南部参加者の声）・動画（撮影 黒鉄好）　＊写真＝東電前で横断幕を掲げる福島の女たち

The delivery is invalid! Emergent protest action against the foul play before dawn

At 4am December 28th, the Okinawa Defense Bureau tried to deliver to the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office 16 boxes containing the Environmental Assessment for moving the Futenma Base to Henako. There were citizen protesters at the site, so the Bureau left some at the security office and took the remaining boxes back to the Bureau. The people of Okinawa have grown increasingly angry. An emergency protest action was held in Tokyo by members of Hitotsubo (small parcel) Anti-war Landowners’ Group Kanto Area Local. Nearly one hundred people gathered in front of the Defense Ministry and Prime Minister's Office in the evening, raising chants of anger such as “The delivery is invalid!” “Shame on you!” A representative of the protesters submitted to the Cabinet Office a protest letter on which was written “Shame on you” in big letters .（Ｍ）

沖縄「評価書提出」は無効！～卑劣な未明のだましうちに緊急抗議

沖縄防衛局は、12月28日午前4時、辺野古基地移設にむけた「環境影響評価書」の段ボール16箱を県庁に運び込み、黙って置いていった。現場にいた市民が抗議したため、全てを運び込むことができず、残りは持ったまま去ったという。これに対し沖縄県民の怒りが沸騰しているが、東京でも、沖縄・一坪反戦地主会関東ブロックのメンバーをはじめ、有志が緊急の抗議行動に立ち上がった。防衛庁前、そして夜には首相官邸前に100人近い人が集まり、「評価書提出は無効」「卑劣な行為をやめろ」と激しい怒りのシュプレヒコールを上げた（写真）。代表は「恥を知れ！」と大書きした抗議文を内閣府に提出した。（M）

Report on delivering a letter to the TEPCO President's house

This is a part of a report by the “Tour Group to Deliver a Letter to TEPCO President, Katsumata” on their efforts to get to his house on December 25th. The group went to the Yotsuya Sanchome area and just around the corner of a convenience store was Katsumata's house. But police officers were blocking the street like a wall. Isn't this an illegal occupation of public road? Why were they doing this? Whose interests were they serving? The road to his house was packed with the participants of the tour. After an argument back and forth, the police allowed us to use the road, but only three people at a time. I went through the checkpoint and walked to the house with Sono Ryota and Himawari-san. Sono shouted at Katsumata's house, which looked like a huge white coffin, “Why is this house protected by police? If this were not Japan, it would be set on fire immediately and be done with!”(Ueda Mami)
Movie: Photo: The tour group heading to Katsumata's house


「東電会長・勝俣さんちにお手紙を届けよう」ツアーに参加して

新宿から四谷三丁目まであっという間。コンビニの角を曲がると勝俣会長邸、ところが警察官の壁が出来ている。一列に並んで道路を塞いでいる。これは警察による公道の不法占拠では？　なんでお巡りさんが道を塞いでるの？　誰の為の何の為の公僕なの？　コンビニ横の通路にはツアー参加者で溢れました。通せ！通さない！の押し問答の末、何故か「三人づつなら勝俣邸への道を通す」となりました。前代未聞。公道を国民が自由に通行出来ないのです。＜関所＞が勝俣邸前の歩道に出来ました。三人と言う事で私とひまわりさん園良太さんで＜通行＞しました。園さんは白い棺桶のような勝俣邸に向かって「何故ここは守られてるんだ！ これが他の国であれば焼き払われて終わりだ！」と叫んでいました。（12/25・上田眞実）・動画（勝俣邸前訴え）　＊写真＝勝俣邸に向かうツアー一行

Improve the employment situation of women in the quake-stricken areas! East Japan Great Earthquake Women's Support Network meets Minister Komiyama

As the reconstruction of the quake-stricken areas gradually moves forward, more women are finding difficulties in getting jobs. There are many fixed term manual labor jobs, such as removing debris, but there are very few steady jobs for women. The East Japan Great Earthquake Women's Support Network met with Minister of Welfare and Labor Komiyama to demand improvement of the job situation for women in the Tohoku area. The network gathered voices of women in need of jobs in the area and urged the Minister to improve the employment assistance policy. A woman from Miyagi Prefecture, aged 32, said, “Please assist in any form women who want to work but can't find jobs and give them security.”(Matsumoto Chie)

被災地女性の雇用改善を！～東日本大震災女性支援ネットワークが大臣要請

被災地の復興が進むにつれ、なかなか仕事につけないという女性の声が増えている。ガレキ撤去のような期限付きの肉体労働が多いなか、女性たちが継続して働けるような就職口は少なく、雇用支援対策も十分でないとして、東日本大震災女性支援ネットワークは12月19日、被災地での女性の雇用状況を改善するよう小宮山厚生労働大臣に要請した（写真）。ネットワークは、被災地で働き口に窮している女性たちの声を集め、大臣に届けた。32歳の宮城県の女性は、「どんな形でもいい。働きたいが働けない女性に支援という安心を与えてほしい」と訴えた。（松元ちえ）

Equal treatment for the same job! Petition campaign for equal treatment and conversion to regular status kicks off.

The number of regular workers in the Japan Post Group is around 230 thousand and the number for non-regular workers is around 210 thousand. Particularly in the postal service division, more than 60 percent of the workforce is non-regular. They are doing the same work as regular workers, but suffer from unstable employment, low wages and disparity in treatment. At the end of September, 2011, 14 thousand non-regular workers over age 65 were terminated, causing chaos in the workplace due to under-staffing.　The National Joint Committee for the Progress of the Postal Labor Movement (coordinated by the Postal Industry Union, the Postal Workers’ Union, and Kurashiki Postal Union) started a petition campaign for “the equal treatment of non-regular workers in the postal service and their promotion to regular status.” Readers can support the campaign by signing the petition on the web of the Non-regular Postal Workers’ Center. (Matsuda, a non-regular postal worker)
Photo: Non-regular workers sorting mail.

同じ仕事 同じ待遇を！～郵政非正規の正社員化・均等待遇を求める署名はじまる

現在、日本郵政グループの正社員数は約23万人、非正規社員数は約21万人です。とりわけ郵便事業の6割以上は非正規社員が担っています。正社員と同じ仕事をしていても、非正規社員には不安定な雇用、低賃金、待遇格差が存在しています。9月末には65歳以上の非正規社員1万4千名が雇い止めされ、要員不足で職場は大混乱が生じています。2012春闘に向けて「郵政労働運動の発展をめざす全国共同会議」（事務局団体　郵政産業労働組合・郵政労働者ユニオン・郵政倉敷労働組合）は「郵政に働く非正規労働者の正社員登用と均等待遇を求める要請署名」の取り組みを開始しました。署名用紙による署名のほか、NPO法人ゆうせい非正規労働センターではネットによる署名も募っています。ご協力していただけるとうれしいです。（郵政非正規労働者・松田）　＊写真＝区分職場で働く非正規社員