This year, in Japan, the stakes of the spring collective negotiations (Shunto) were vital for the Abe administration: the tax increase planned for April had to be combined with a wage increase. After several months of negotiations, the results finally came out on March 12. Several large businesses announced that they were indeed going to increase basic pay, after years of stagnation in some cases, but certain analysts say these negotiations’ impact on consumption will be limited.
Major stakes. “Debates have almost never been this tense since 1952,” observed Takashi Suda, executive director of Rengo, the Japanese union confederation and biggest union power, which demanded an increase “of at least one point” for basic pay in large businesses and at least two points for workers in SMEs, within the framework of the spring wage negotiations, known as “Shunto.”
Shy increases. After several months of debates, the results finally came out on March 12. Several large businesses
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