Monday, December 17, 2007

Lifting A Finger

This piece is a translation of an Article by Ryujin Makoto.
.
My last blog touched upon the rising level of poverty in Japan. Indeed, [Philip Brasor in] the Japan Times newspaper has suggested that Japan’s Manufacturing industry is sliding back to third world standards.
.
To combat this slide logical thinkers and Japanese experts are suggesting a rise in the minimum wage might be in order. By earning more the lower income echelons of society can drag themselves a little out of poverty.
.
But, could we have predicted that the proposed rise would be so little? The government, ever conscious of supporting its poor, has offered a minimum wage increase of a mighty ten-yen. This equals ten-cense or five-pence. [Translators note: This dwarfs the stinginess of my first Somerfields Wage rise from £2.05 to £2.17]
.
We should not be so shocked. Only last year [2006] a company was pressured into a wage rise by its Union. The Union had offered a wage structure example based upon the wages offered to thirty-two year olds at the company. So, the company gave a wage rise of 100yen a month to all thirty-two year olds.
.
The excuse given by the government for offering only 10yen extra is that the manufacturing industry in Japan cannot afford anything above 10yen. Already these companies have shed benefit packages and forced employees down to minimum wage but its not enough to keep the industry healthy.
.
Needless to say 10yen is not helpful. In its genius the government has decided to pay for the wage hike by reducing benefit packages for poor and unemployed families. To this wound the Bank of Salt and the government are debating the merits of doubling the consumption tax [VAT] from 5yen in the hundred to 10yen.
.
I predict that the poor will continue to get poorer as the government apes that buffoon [Bush] in America.

No comments: