Dear reader, where are you from? To what era do you belong? I was born in 1971 in Japan and grew up here, too, but I¡¯ve never ¡ª in all my years visiting hotels, restaurants, shops or government offices ¡ª seen workers wearing vests, armbands, badges, ribbons or bandanas with political messages. I¡¯ve never seen a waiter with an armband reading ¡°We demand wage hikes.¡±
This country was quite different in the 1950s, ¡®60s and ¡®70s. Workers from all walks of life, many of whom were unionized, often wore their messages of solidarity and demands for better conditions quite literally on their sleeves. I wonder how many Japan Times readers have seen such workers here in Japan or in other countries.
The courts had quite a lot to say about the legality of such actions. The Labor Relations Commission¡¯s basic position was that it amounted to ¡°legitimate union activity¡± as long as it did not interfere with the fulfilment of one¡¯s work duties. The courts usually admitted the legitimacy of wearing union vests and other protest paraphernalia during a labor dispute, even during work hours ¡ª again, as long as there was no specific obstruction to work or the operation of the company.
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