ICLS “Seoul Forum 2011” was held on 13-14 October in Seoul, South Korea. The JRU sent 25 delegates to the assembly. We had a discussion on the theme of “Green Thinking-against Neo-liberalism: Job Security and Stronger Unions.” Mr. Chiba, Chair of the ICLS, gave an address in the beginning of the Forum, expressing his heartfelt gratitude for all the support from workers for the struggle to recover from the disaster. He added his determination to work on recovery and reconstruction. He also called on the participants to inherit the discussion held over the last several years, and establish the direction of our fight amid worldwide standstill of capitalism and global confusion.

Report from the stricken area in eastern Japan
The JRU team was given a chance to report on the 3.11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. Mr. Miyata, Vice President of Sendai region office, JREU, talked about experiences of the crew whose trains were attacked by the devastating tsunami, JRU members’ relief effort for recovery and reconstruction, aftermath of the nuclear accident, our determination to promote anti-nuclear campaign and gratitude for warm support from each member union. His speech was welcomed with applause in the Forum.

How we should create the future labor movement
The special address was given by Kim Young-Hoon, President of the KCTU. The title of his speech was “Significance of struggle for social publicness in a perspective of transformation strategy.” He stated, “Amid confusion with no clear leaders in the political sphere, economic field and labor movement, people’s movement has spread globally such as ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest, Arab people’s revolution for democracy, Greek workers’ general strike and Japanese anti-nuclear demonstration. Our society is making the shift to the new stage now, and the role of trade unions is to strengthen publicness of the public field.”
Following his lecture, Mr. Yomono, former General Secretary of ICLS, made a speech under the title of “Where should labor movement be heading after Fukushima?” He said, “Neo-liberalism has continued to make its irrational efforts in order to ensure profits for the companies. It destroyed what is described in Japanese word, Dohri, or reasons or morals people have,” and stated, “To strengthen publicness, which Mr. Kim expressed, has something in common with my idea, the society where reasons and morals are respected. We need to create movements that act together with our own society, winning empathy from workers and citizens and having ‘morals’ and ‘reasons’.” Based on these presentations, participants from member unions shared with each other their efforts to tackle the issues such as anti NUKE, non-regular employment or safety, seeking solidarity with wide range of labor movement and society.

What is “Green Thinking?”
On the second day of the Forum, Edgar Bilayon, President of UTWO, the Philippines, made a presentation titled “Trade Unionism, No More?!” Edgar posed a problem as “Does labor movement respond to the ever-changing social conditions and meet the needs of diversifying workers, especially, of young workers?” and stated, “While working together in an equal relationship, labor movement and all the social movements should create respective independent movements. That way of thinking is comprised in Green Thinking.” Following Edgar’s presentation, Mr. Yoshikawa, General Secretary of the JREU, reported on their effort to secure ‘Green Staff’ members’ employment as permanent workers (*Green Staff: Contract workers hired by the JR East). He also talked about their challenge to organize young workers.
In the floor discussion, there were comments and opinions by many struggling workers such as
‘Green Staff’ members and a contract worker of the JR Freight, and they touched on the reality of precarious workers and their challenge to win the job status as regular workers. A non-regular cleaning crew who was the member of the Pusan Subway Workers’ Union reported her struggle to organize her fellow co-workers.
As the coordinator, Mr. Suk Chi-Soon, General Secretary of ICLS, summarized the discussion as “Green Thinking for the JRU members is to make efforts to eliminate Green Staff system. Our discussion on Green Thinking is quite primitive, and we may repeat the same discussion next year. And hopefully, let us find an answer to this theme in each union!”
　

Resolutions concerning fight against oppression of JRU7 and anti-nuclear campaign were adopted.
The JRU submitted two draft resolutions to the Forum. One is “Resolution to Request the Supreme Court of Japan to Reverse the Original Ruling Which Deprived Workers of the Right to Organize and to Acquit JRU7 of the Charge,” and the other is “Resolution to Create a Sustainable Society Where Everyone Can Live and Feel the Happiness Without Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power Plants,” which were unanimously adopted. Resolutions to support the SRUT dismissal leaders (Thailand), to support the struggle of workers of the Hanjin Heavy Industries Company in South Korea and its non-regular workers (South Korea), and to support PAL workers (the Philippines) were also adopted in the Forum. The “Declaration of Seoul Forum 2011” was adopted, too.

The UTWO and the PMT (the Philippines) gained membership, and Mr. Chiba was elected for the third term as the Chairperson of the ICLS.
Following the Forum, the International Council Meeting and the International Steering Committee Meeting were held. There the UTWO and the PMT (both, the Philippines) gained membership, and all the current Steering Committee members including the Chairperson, Mr. Chiba, were elected for the third term.
The theme “Green Thinking” contains various translations such as environment-friendliness, well-being for everyone, living in happiness and abolishment of disparities. What is “Green Thinking” for us? Our pursuit has just started.

The JRU will explore the new possibility of labor movement, which is now losing ground, by creating our own labor movement with worldwide workers including members of the ICLS and expanding solidarity across the world in the fight starting from our very workplaces.