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Jennings told the 2000 participants at the Congress in Yokohama Japan that with the creation of UA Zensen we were witnessing the rebirth of the country’s commerce unions. He said that the UA Zensen launch coupled with the Japanese trade union centre, Rengo, announcing a new membership drive to reach 10 million showed that the Japanese labour movement had caught the Breaking Through spirit. Jennings added that UNI looked forward to welcoming President Ohmi, the head of the new UA Zensen union to the World Executive Board at UNI head office in Nyon next week.



Here is a summary of Philip Jennings’ speech:



“The creation of UA Zensen will greatly improve the lives of commerce workers in Japan by making their union voice stronger and more powerful. We look forward to cooperating with UA Zensen in our work, building on the solid foundations that have been layed in Japan over the last 50 years with firstly JUC, and then JSD and UI Zensen. UNI’s largest sector, UNI Commerce, has launched the most ambitious plan to date to organise globally in the commerce and services sectors. Each day thousands of workers are being recruited: from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, from Delhi to Jakarta, from Europe to Africa and the Americas. With the contribution of UA Zensen, UNI will be stronger still and we will fully support this formidable new Japanese union.



The UNI Global Union Congress in Nagasaki in 2010 was held under the theme “Breaking Through”. We adopted a “Breaking Through” plan to grow unions and we know that UA Zensen is equally committed to that ideal. As Japanese poet Uesugi Youzan wrote: “If you try, you may succeed. If you do not try, you will not succeed.” UNI and UA Zensen will succeed and we will achieve our collective goals. There are 10 million commerce workers in Japan. We must break through to organise everyone working in commerce from the supermarkets, through the department stores, to the wholesalers. We will work together to become a million-strong union in commerce in Japan. We will break through with more collective agreements and create a commerce-wide labour/management industrial council to promote decent work. UNI will support UA Zensen’s push to ensure that the politicians place greater value on the contribution that commerce makes to the economic health of the nation. The new union must be a champion for all commerce workers including non-regulars. Equality for women should be paramount.



UNI and UA Zensen will work together to organise the global retailers operating in Japan. Walmart unions are organised in Japan. This is a major achievement, compared to Walmart’s home, the United States, where its management resists and fights unionisation. Recently US Walmart workers walked off the job for the first time in their history. We have formed a UNI Global Union Walmart Alliance with a clear strategy to organise these unrepresented workers and we will succeed. Together UA Zensen and UNI will continue our common efforts to ensure a union presence in Japanese commerce companies at home in Japan, across the Asia-Pacific region and globally. UNI has signed its first global framework agreement in Japan with Takashimaya, adding to its almost 50 agreements worldwide. These agreements are part of a global dialogue for a responsible business model in which everyone benefits. “Including You” will be the theme of UNI’s 2014 World Congress in Cape Town. Together we will put a human face on globalisation by “Including You,” the people, in a new more equitable economic world and not one where the 1% of the population continue to get richer at the expense of the rest.



With the launch of UA Zensen, UNI would like to join with our Japanese brothers and sisters in repeating the call of our Nagasaki World Congress for a world of peace, free from nuclear weapons. Shortly after that Congress in 2010 Japan and the world witnessed a terrible reminder of destructive powers at work with the Great Eastern Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power station crisis. However, the world also witnessed the courage and fortitude of the Japanese people, not least the unions. All your friends at UNI congratulate you on your bravery and successful clear up operation. This echo of those terrible events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 must work as a wake up call. Exactly 50 years ago we were teetering on the edge of nuclear destruction with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today the nuclear threat is ever present and through our union solidarity we can share our message of peace and call for change.



In conclusion, UNI Global Union, UNI Apro and UA Zensen are united in partnership. UNI congratulates Brothers Ochiai and Hachino for their wonderful efforts in nurturing the birth of UA Zensen and wishes President Ohmi every success and offers our loyal support. UNI also congratulates the executives of both UI Zensen and JSD and their rank and file members of staff. UNI is with you as you continue to grow and break through in your powerful new form as UA Zensen, for the benefit of all commerce workers.”