英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun(Jul. 16, 2009)
Govt labor-management deals must be transparent
農水ヤミ専従　労使関係の透明化が急務だ（7月16日付・読売社説）

Can the unhealthy relationship between labor and management that continued for years at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry finally be remedied?
　長年にわたる農林水産省のでたらめな労使関係に、これで終止符を打てるのだろうか。

The farm ministry's third-party panel said in a report released Wednesday that a total of 198 senior members of the ministry's Zennorin labor union illegally engaged in union activities during working hours over the past five years.
　全農林労働組合の幹部でヤミ専従をしていた者は、過去５年間に１９８人に上るとする調査結果を同省の第三者委員会がまとめた。

The report also said such practices were conducted at the ministry's headquarters, the Hokkaido District Agriculture Office and all regional agricultural administration offices nationwide.
本省、北海道農政事務所と、すべての地方農政局にヤミ専従者がいた。

As a result of these findings, the ministry plans to take punitive measures, including pay cuts, against those found to have taken part in illegal union activities. It also plans to punish 945 officials who worked as the union members' superiors and personnel managers with pay cuts and by other means, calling their supervisory responsibilities into question .
　これを受けて同省は近く、該当者を減給などの懲戒処分にし、直属の上司ら９４５人も監督責任を問い、減給処分などにする。

The ministry also is set to demand that employees involved return the salary they received in the period they were found to have engaged in illegal union activities.
　ヤミ専従期間の給与の返還請求もする予定だ。

We urge the ministry to not only take these punitive measures but also file criminal complaints against the officials in question without delay.
刑事告発とも合わせ、速やかに行うべきだ。

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Basic rules ignored

The National Civil Service Law bans central government officials from engaging in union activities during working hours without prior approval. Allowing such a practice would result in officials being paid with taxpayers' money despite not doing the job they are paid to do. Given that, the provision is perfectly reasonable. Nevertheless, this basic rule was completely neglected at the farm ministry.
　勤務時間中に許可を得ずに組合活動をするヤミ専従は、国家公務員法で禁止されている。仕事もせずに国民の税金から給与が支払われるわけだから、当たり前の規定だが、その基本が、農水省ではまったく無視されていた。

Some officials reportedly marked their workplace attendance registers with their seals, then spent the entire day in their union offices.
　「出勤簿に判子だけ押して、後は組合事務局に常駐」する者もいた。

Senior officials even sought approval from their labor union before asking their subordinates to work overtime. In addition, union members' shop meetings were frequently held during working hours.
職員に残業を命じる場合は組合に「お伺い」を立てていた。組合の職場集会も、勤務時間中に頻繁に開かれていたという。

One of the ministry's local offices reached a written agreement with the union ensuring that officials' work performance evaluations would not be reflected in personnel management decisions.
　労使間で「勤務評定を人事に反映させない」とする確認書を交わしていた出先機関もあった。

If such practices were permitted at private companies, their business would not remain viable. The ministry's offices apparently were overstaffed if they experienced no problems running their day-to-day operations despite lacking key staff.
　民間企業でこのようなことを認めたら、経営が成り立たない。それでも仕事に支障がなかったとすれば、明らかに職員の数が多すぎたということだ。

Both the ministry's senior officials and the union's senior members who have failed to take action to rectify this extraordinary situation bear heavy responsibility.
異常な実態を容認してきた本省幹部や組合執行部の責任も重大である。

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Problem widespread?

The government is trying to raise government officials' awareness of their responsibilities as part of its campaign to improve administrative services. However, the prospects appear bleak under the current circumstances in which workplaces are ruled by union members.
　行政サービスを向上させる「質の行政改革」推進のため政府は職員の意識改革を図っているが、組合が職場を支配しているような状況では、前途は誠に多難だ。

The problem does not seem to be confined to the farm ministry. It has come to light that some Social Insurance Agency officials also engaged in union activities during working hours. Few would deny that such practices have also been occurring at other central and local government offices.
　ことは、農水省だけの問題ではないだろう。社会保険庁でもヤミ専従問題が発覚した。他官庁や地方自治体にヤミ専従はない、とは言い切れまい。

Last year, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry conducted investigations into unauthorized union activities at all government ministries and agencies. However, it was told by the farm ministry that no official had been found to have engaged in such practices.
　総務省は昨年、全省庁を対象にヤミ専従の調査をしたが、農水省の回答さえも「ゼロ」だった。

In light of recent findings, the internal affairs ministry is currently conducting a fresh investigation, calling on officials to provide information on such practices by e-mail and telephone. The ministry's investigative capabilities will come under great scrutiny.
このため現在、再調査中で、メールや電話による情報提供も呼びかけている。総務省の調査能力も問われるところだ。

The Zennorin labor union is under the umbrella of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo, which supports the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Regardless of the current administration's fate, the government must squarely face up to the problem and take measures to make transparent the relationship that exists between labor and management at government offices.
　全農林労働組合は民主党を支持する連合の傘下にある。政権の行方がどうなろうと、政府として公務員の労使関係の透明化策に真正面から取り組むべきだ。

As a step to prevent recurrence of similar problems, the farm ministry's third-party panel proposed that the content of labor-management negotiations be published and made subject to public criticism. We believe this is a proposal worth considering.
　農水省の第三者委員会も再発防止策として、「労使交渉の内容を公表し、国民の監視下に置く必要がある」と提言した。これも参考になる指摘である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 16, 2009)
（2009年7月16日01時29分 読売新聞）