Radiation-exposed workers demand, “Stop stealing our salaries!”

At 9am on March 14, 2014, many workers at the still troubled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear demanded Maeda Corporation, a construction company that handles decontamination, to improve their working conditions. HIRAGA Yujiro, their leader, expressed his anger, saying, “Do you know why we are so angry? It’s because some of our salaries have been stolen despite that we are doing something very crucial for Japan”. There are three thousand decontamination workers in Naraha Town, Fukushima Prefecture where Maeda contracts for decontamination. Each of the workers can earn only ten to twelve thousand yen (100 to 120 US dollars) a day. They are eligible for an extra ten thousand yen as a “danger allowance”, but the extra amount has disappeared somewhere. Their working conditions remain dismal despite a fatal accident. About 200 workers protested the construction company. Maeda kept its door closed at first, but some representatives of the workers were allowed into its building and their demands were accepted. They continued their actions to demand the improvement in their working conditions at Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of Fukushima Daiichi, and the relevant government ministries. (M)

一番大切な仕事！ピンハネやめろ！～被ばく労働者の待遇改善もとめ行動

3月14日の「被ばく労働者春闘統一行動」。午前9時、東京・水道橋の前田建設工業が入ったビル前には、たくさんの組合旗が林立していた。代表の平賀雄次郎氏がマイクを握る。「私たちがなぜ怒りをもってここに来たか？それは日本でいま一番大切な労働に携わって除染作業員の賃金がピンハネされ、現場に回っていないからだ」。前田建設等が請け負っている福島県楢葉町では一日3千人の除染作業員がいるが、賃金は手取りで1万～1万2000円しかならない。本来支払われるべき「危険手当1万円」は消えている。また労災死亡事故も起こしているのに、職場環境は劣悪なままだ。こうした前田建設に対して、200人近い人たちが「ピンハネやめろ」「団交に応じろ」とコールを上げた。最初は入口を閉ざした会社側だが、怒りの声に押され、代表数名を中に入れて申入書を受けとった。その後、福島のメンバーを先頭に、東電への要請・省庁交渉を行い「被ばく労働者」の待遇改善を訴えた。（M）