Labor Film Festa draws 300 with movies about people raising their voices

The Labor Film Festa ended in success on July 22 with more than 300 people coming to see eight new releases with “Hyoteki no shima (The Targeted Island)~Kaji Takata” as the main feature. The festa also featured films produced by young people on social and historical issues of Japan. Students at Keisen University showed their work, “Our field study~Okinawa, Cheju, Taiwan,” illustrated the importance of learning history first-hand. “Genpatsu no machi wo owarete 3 (Driven out of a nuclear village 3)” drew tears out of audience as it touched the hearts of the people through telling a story about a cattle herder. UNUMA Hisae, one of the Fukushima residents featured in the film, conveyed to the audience how much they lost in the nuclear disaster. “I don’t want you to create another Futaba. That’s what I want to tell you,” Unuma said onstage after the film screening. “The day Conspiracy bill passed” was about Soka Gakkai and the dilemma in the protest against the conspiracy act. “The organization is becoming more unreasonable,” a member and film producer said. “I was reprimanded for speaking up, but I am not going to give up until I can make the changes.” Someone said that the Labor Film Festa was “a movie festival of ‘those people,’” but each film portrayed citizens standing up and speaking up against unreasonable situations in this country. (By the Festa secretariat)

Youtube 46 minutes

＊Photo＝ Students of Keisen University speak after screening their film, “Our field study” (center; Professor Lee Young-chea)




声を上げる人たちの映画祭～「レイバー映画祭」300人参 加で大盛況
 


7月22日東京・田町のレイバー映画祭は、約300人 が参加し大盛況のうちに終了した。『標的の島～風かたか』をメ インに中短編の新作8本のプログラムだった。午前の学生・若者作 品は、社会問題・歴史問題をテーマにしてものでどれも意欲的作 品だった。恵泉女学園の学生がつくった『私たちのフィールドス タディ～沖縄・済州島・台湾』は、過去の歴史事実にじかに触れ ることの大切さを初々しい映像で伝えていた。『原発の町を追わ れて３』はフクシマの現実を一人の牛飼いを通して突きつけるも ので、会場からはすすり泣きが聞かれた。舞台にたった主人公の鵜 沼久江さんは「私が言いたいことは2つめの双葉町をつくってほし くないこと」と原発事故で奪われたものの大きさを語った。『共 謀罪が通った日』では元創価学会員が「学会がおかしくなってい る。声をあげたら処分されたが、負けずに変えていきたい」とアピ ール。ある人は「レイバー映画祭は“こんな人たち”の映画祭だ」 と評したが、それぞれの作品が今の日本のおかしさに声を上げてい るものばかりだった。（映画祭事務局）
・動画（46分）　＊写 真＝『私たちのフィールドスタディ』をつくった恵泉女学園メン バー（中央はイヨンチェ教授）

Don’t sell my overtime work hours! ~ Workers protest against Rengo

 

Workers raised their voices on July 19 in front of Rengo headquarters in protest against the nation’s largest labor confederation’s decision on whether to approve the “zero overtime pay bill.” The action was led by a 33-year-old, non-union man. “’Don’t sell my overtime hours without my approval!’ This is the angry voices of all the workers,” he said. “The Rengo executives should stop misappropriation of the union, annul its decision and return to what a union should be. I came here to show support in bringing Rengo back on its feet.” The protesters grew to 120, most of whom acted on his/her own.

 “This is the first time I came to Rengo office, and I am surprised how elaborate the building is,” another one spoke. “Stop looking up (to the people in control) but start listening to the voices of the workers.” Yet another worker said, “I want Rengo to do the right thing as a labor union.”

 Rengo’s controversial decision was initiated by some leadership without any internal discussion. Names of Rengo’s General Secretary OHMI Naoto and MURAKAMI Yoko, chief of department of working conditions, appeared on a banner in the protest. (By M)

私の残業を勝手に売るな！～連合本部前で「働く個 人」が声上げる

 
7月19日、連合本部前で「残業代ゼロ容認」に抗議 の声が上がった。呼びかけたのは労組メンバーではなく、33歳の 働く個人男性だった。「私の残業を勝手に売るな！というのが、み んなの怒りの声。連合執行部は私物化をやめ、決定を取り消して 本来の労働組合に戻ってほしい。連合はしっかりしてほしい。そ の後押しのつもりで来た」と訴えた。参加者は徐々に増えて120人 になった。みんな個人での参加だ。フリーマイクでは「初めて連合 に来たが建物が立派で驚いた。上ばかりみないで現場の労働者の 声を聞いてほしい」「労働組合としての本分を果たしてほしい」 など切実なアピールが続いた。今回の「残業代ゼロ法案」容認 は、執行部の一部メンバーの主導でクーデター的に行われた。こ の日の横断幕でも執行部の「逢見直人事務局長」と「村上陽子総 合労働局長」が名指しで批判されていた。（M)

People of Takae, Okinawa, Continue Fighting against US Marines Helipads

 

On July 22, members of Education Workers and Amalgamated Union Osaka (EWA) visited Takae of Higashi Village, Okinawa. On the same day last year, hundreds of police riot squad officers sent from across the country violently removed citizens protesting against the construction of helipads for U.S. Marine Corp’s MV22 Ospreys in front of the N1 Gate to the Northern Training Area in order to begin construction of new helipads in three zones there. It was just a few hours after Okinawans clearly showed with the result of a national election their strong will against the construction of new facilities for U.S. military that the Japanese government perpetrated the act of violence.
ISA Ikuko of the Association of Takae Residents against the Helipads briefed the union members on the present status of the helipad construction at the tent set up by protesters across the road from the N1 Gate.

The construction had been suspended for three months from March 1 during the nesting period of the Pryer's woodpecker, an indigenous species of the area designated as a national natural treasure. But, it was only the work with large noises that was suspended and other types of construction work had been continued. Then, as of July 1, the full scale construction work resumed.

The helipad construction has caused massive destruction of the rich forest of uniquely high level of biodiversity in Takae, the home of many species that are not found elsewhere in the world. The Japanese government has submitted a recommendation to UNESCO to register the forest as a world natural heritage while creating an environment there in which the precious indigenous species are threatened by noise, heat and blast the MV22 Ospreys generate, which also frustrates Takae residents.

“Our struggle so far was to prevent the construction of the helipads. From now on, we have to continue fighting to prevent the use of them,” said ISA.The struggle of the people of Takae is still on-going, but, since the start of reclamation work for the construction of the new base in Henoko the number of supporters who join the protest actions in Takae are decreasing. They are afraid that their struggle be forgotten with the completion of the construction work. Solidarity to the people there is much needed now.  (By OTSUBAKI Yuko)

 ヘリパッドを使わせない闘い続く～沖縄・高江を訪ね て

７月22日、大阪教育合同労働組合（以下、教育合 同）の組合員たちが、沖縄県東村高江のN１ゲート前を訪れた。ち ょうど１年前の同日、全国から集められた数百人の機動隊が押し 寄せ、ヘリパッド建設に反対する市民を暴力的に排除しN１ゲート 前を制圧、工事着工を強行した場所である。参院選で、辺野古新基 地建設や高江ヘリパッド建設に反対する伊波洋一さん（現参議院 議員）が、当時現職だった島尻安伊子沖縄担当相を大差で破り、歓 喜に湧いた数時間後に、市民の命を危険に曝す強制排除は行われ た。教育合同の一行は、その日、キャンプシュワブ前で開催され た辺野古新基地建設に反対する「辺野古・大浦湾の埋め立てを止 めよう！人間の鎖大行動」に参加。その後、高江に移動したため 到着は夕刻近く、その頃には座り込みを続けている市民は帰途に 着いていた。それでも､工事車両が出入りする入口付近を軌道隊車 両と、15名ほどのALSOKの警備員たちが塞いでいた。（大椿裕 子）