Tsunami and Nuke Plant Blasts is no natural disaster! US Unions Support Same Bankrupt Path

Tsunami and Nuke Plant Blasts is no natural disaster!

It’s a crime committed by State, Capital and Submissive Labor Union Leadership!

March 29, 2011

International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba


The total number of the dead and missing people is already reaching thirty thousands. As you may realize by the attached report of a municipal workers of Sendai, a directly stricken area, people, among others aged people, are dying at this very moment through fatal lack of water, foods, medical treatment, etc. Added to this catastrophic conditions, a large volume of high-level radioactive materials are leaking from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and widely scattered over the inhabitants and the earth of the whole adjoining region, while the nuclear authorities are making acrobatic attempts to prevent meltdown of the radioactive core, which might have already begun.

Meanwhile, the upper grade of permissible radioactive exposure, both internal and external, has been raised. Recently, a “minimal quantity” of plutonium is discovered on the site of the nuclear plant and nuclear experts and scientists, promoters of nuclear exploitation, are still repeating on the government-run TV, “We detect no direct harm to human health”.



In Kanto region, 200 kilometer far from the nuclear facilities, bottled water has disappeared from supermarket in fear of radioactive contamination. The government issued a forcible instruction to stop the shipment of green vegetables, such as spinach and cabbages. We’ve just got tragic information from Fukushima: a 64-year-old farmer, who was cultivating vegetables, committed suicide on March 29th. He had dedicated his life for more than 30 years in supplying cabbages of good quality to primary school pupils of his district through organic farming. Immediately before the moment of death, he is reported to have whispered, “It’s all finished with vegetables of Fukushima!” in his suffocating agony.



The state and capital have driven local communities to the ultimate exhaustion and devastation, abandoned necessary construction of levees (while making repeated researches and studies over tsunami!) and kept building nuclear plants on the “earthquake-prone archipelago” with the only aim of pursuing profits and retaining nuclear power for nuclear armament in their possession. A large number of workers are thrown out of their workplaces, which were stricken by tsunami, or out of abandoned factories because of radioactive contamination. Not only in the affected areas but also in other regions, numerous factories are forced to shut down and workers face loss of jobs because the suppliers of parts were hit by the disaster in the stricken area. As a result, workers are thrown to the street without allowance for lost working days. It is a crime committed by the state and capital!



We must angrily denounce the system-friendly, submissive leadership of labor movement who has full responsibility for what has happened and is happening to working class. Above all, Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation), which officially decided a policy of promoting the construction of nuclear plants, declared in face of the present disaster: “We express our respect and gratitude for the swift and appropriate response of the government” “We are prepared to be engaged in relief and restoration activities in unity to face national crisis”. Denryoku-soren (Confederation of Electric Power Related Industry Workers’ Unions of Japan) shamelessly demands cooperation with TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) in power cut in complete submission to capital. On the other hand, a “political truce” was proposed by the headquarters of Kokuro (National Railway Workers’ Union) and other organizations, which betrayed the struggle of 1047 dismissed railway workers for reinstatement, saying: “For the time being, we stop political move for the solution of the railway issue”.

What a shameless attitude! Watch the reality! A huge number of workers and people have died are still dying at every moment and affected people are courageously fighting to live in face of disaster and adversity which would continue for long. But the submissive, system-friendly labor leaders have no intention to expose the cause of the present catastrophe or to denounce the responsible ruling power for it. On the contrary, they are eager to help the desperate attempts of neo-liberalism to survive. These corrupt labor leaders must be crushed and kicked out of Japanese labor movement by the mounting anger of working class.



People’s Earthquake Relief Center has been set up. It is an expression of our determination to fight to live. We are resolved to stay in the midst of the disaster. We don’t run away from the present adversity. In establishing a close link with the anger of the affected friends, we need to revitalize labor union as “an organization for workers to live in face of difficulties”. All of our power must be gathered on this task.

Working brothers and sisters of the whole world, we pledge to continue fighting to create a bright future for Japanese labor movement though our present ability is limited.

Let’s unite together to crush definitively desperate offensives of neo-liberalism!

Stop all nuclear plants immediately across the country

We are fighting every moment to live for our people

and for ourselves with all of our power.



24 March, 2011



I am a city service worker of Sendai City Office. I belong to Doro-Chiba Support Committee. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your warmest support both practically and mentally including overwhelming funds and goods collected at the March 20 Rally. I thank again each and every one of you throughout the world.

I am writing the report from the affected area (we are affected by the man-made disaster!).



The city service workers are now fighting hard every moment to live for the sake of our colleagues, our people, our families and ourselves. We are heavily engaged in restoring electric, gas, water supply facilities and roads, and operating the shelters.



Yesterday, my cell-phone rang when I was riding on my bicycle. It was from my fellow worker. He has gone out to his hometown to save his parents after the earthquake. His parents’ house was located in the port town and the tsunami rushed and crashed it ashore. At his call, I quickly stopped my bike to answer him. Excited, I called his name again and again into the phone but his phone seemed to have some problems and he couldn’t hear my voice. He had started to speak to me in a distressful and woeful tone.



“On the day of the earthquake, I managed to get to my home town. But my parents and the town where I was born and raised were all swept away by the tsunami. I wanted to search for my father and mother, but the ranger force of Self Defense Force sealed off the town and rangers didn’t let me get close to the town. Until yesterday I was staying at a shelter. I have been fighting hard with the people there, but at last I became sick and sent to the hospital. Please forgive me for the one-way conversation. I can’t hear your voice. I can’t even know whether you can hear me or not. I hope to see you again someday….”

His voice was trembling with sorrow and frustration, and filled with anger.



You can’t go and search for your parents because of the ranger force sealing your hometown. What on earth is it? I slumped on the road. What is “the 100,000-strong Self Defense Force relief operation” that the prime minister Naoto Kan proudly promoted? Kan announced that the troops were mobilized to conduct rescue and relief activities, but the whole point of it was the public security operation. The real aim of Kan is to crush the unity of workers who are rising up to fight to live.



All those who are engaged in restoring the lifelines and taking charge of shelters are workers. Not the troops! People are all united and working together to live by themselves. On the other hand, however, even after the blast of the Fukushima No.1 plant and during a big after-quake continues in many times, Kan administration is still operating all other nuclear plants throughout the country, saying that it won’t immediately effect on human health.



How dare Kan to say, “Let’s face the national crisis together”! What is the most important thing now to do is to crush Kan administration!



It is not the time for workers to “restore capitalism” but to unite together and crush capitalism and create a workers’ society. And labor unions should stand at the forefront of this struggle.



Dear friends of all over the country! Kan administration is sending the police and troops to the affected areas. Only workers and labor unions can do sincere and effective relief activities to send necessary goods and physical support. We are very much encouraged by the Emergency Appeal of Doro-Chiba issued just after the earthquake and the initial report to inform us that the members of Doro-Chiba stopped the attempt of outsourcing, which was planned by the Japan Railway Company to start from this April. To fight against the nuclear plants and the national mobilization is not the struggle of workers in the affected areas alone but it is a historical task of all workers throughout the country and all over the world.



Now is the time for the Nationwide Movement of National Railway Workers who has its organizations all through the country to put forth its whole energy. Let’s unite together! Let’s unite and fight to actually live!



We are fighting with all our might in the affected areas. Please support us.


Send your relief goods and donations to the following address:

c/o National Coordinating Center of Labor Unions
Gohodo- Ito bldg. 5th Floor,
2-4-10 Moto-Asakusa, Daito-ku, Tokyo, Zip Code 111-0041, Japan
Tel.: +81-03-3845-7461
Fax: +81-03-3845-7463



1. Bank name: The Chiba Bank, Ltd
2. Bank code# in Japan: 0134
3. Branch name: Chuo Branch
4. Branch code# in Japan: 001
5. Branch address: 2-5-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0013, Japan
6. Type of address: Ordinary deposit
7. Account number: 4177605
Address of Account: 2-8 Kaname-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0017, Japan
Phone No. of Account: +81-43-222-7207
8. Account name: Kokutetsu Chiba Doryokusha Rodokumiai
Note: “Account name has to be written in the Japanese full name of Doro-Chiba.
9. SWIFT address: CHBAJPJT 001 4177605
Note: One space is needed between Branch Code# (001) and Account number 4177605).

BEW Tops Defend Use Of Nuclear Power-In Bed With Bosses In Doing Damage Control
http://www.ibew.org/articles/11daily/1103/110318_JapanStmt.htm
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IBEW Statement on Japanese Nuclear Power Plant Situation

March 18, 2011


Satellite image of Japan showing damage after an earthquake and tsunami March 12, 2011, at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) salutes the crews at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi facility who are risking their lives to contain the damage to the reactors caused by the once-in-a-millennium catastrophe that has befallen Japan.

We believe that the courage and determination shown by the TEPCO workers reflect the high standards of service and professionalism to which the American nuclear work force adheres. We take pride in working in close coordination with utility management and government agencies to ensure that the United States nuclear facilities remain a prime source of safe, reliable electricity for millions of customers.

We believe that situation in Japan must be kept in perspective. Safety procedures, including disaster scenario simulations, are part and parcel of the training and preparation that nuclear plants undertake on a regular basis. Our facilities have emergency backup systems to cope with the potential loss of both primary and secondary power sources.

The tragedy in Japan does not equate to the nuclear industry in America and attempts to draw correlations between the two constitute a disservice to the public and to the reasoned consideration of energy policy for the future. We continue to believe that nuclear power must play a key role as American tackles the energy and environmental issues of the 21st century.

The IBEW represents 725,000 workers in North America, including 15,000 at 42 nuclear facilities.

Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user DititaGlobel-Imagry.