University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0561
Survey Title Survey on Worker Participation and Employee-Management Communication, 2006
Depositor JTUC Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards
(Former Name:Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards)
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Summary Against a backdrop of economic globalization, industrial structures have been greatly changing, which has meant increasing diversification of employment status, organizational reshuffling, and revision of working conditions within corporations as well as continued reshuffling beyond the corporate sphere.

At Rengo Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards (RENGO-RIALS), the “Research Committee on the Present State and Outlook of Worker Participation in Japan” was established in January 2006, for the purpose of ascertaining recent trends in how, in response to such changes, labor unions might deepen communication between employees and management with worker representation in the workplace, reviewing anew the meaning of worker participation, and uncovering policy implications for the direction of worker participation in Japan.

As part of the general survey activities of this committee, a questionnaire survey was conducted of labor unions (headquarters and branches of local labor unions) for the purpose of clarifying the recent state of worker participation and employee-management communication.
Data Type quantitative research: micro data
Universe [Union headquarter survey] 
 RENGO member private business survey-registered unions: 1,145 local labor unions
[Union branch survey] 
 RENGO member private business survey-registered unions: 2,290 branches (1,145 local labor unions × 2)
Unit of Observation Organization
Sample Size
Number of responses (valid response rate)
[Union headquarter survey] 507 (44.3%)
[Union branch survey] 535 (23.4%)
Date of Collection 2006-10 ~ 2006-11
2006/06/30–08/11
Time Period 2006 ~ 2006
Spatial Unit
Sampling Procedure
Mode of Data Collection [Union headquarter survey] 
- Distribution: distributed questionnaire survey to trade unions according to RENGO-RIALS (number of registered unions × 1) and distributed to each registered union headquarters through trade unions
- Return: returned directly to RENGO-RIALS from each union headquarters in enclosed envelope

[Union branch survey] 
- Distribution: distributed questionnaire survey to trade unions according to RENGO-RIALS (number of registered unions × 2) and distributed to each registered union headquarters through trade unions. Registered union headquarters distributed questionnaires to any two branches.
- Return: returned directly to RENGO-RIALS from each union branch in enclosed envelope

*A set number of registered unions have no branches (number cannot be ascertained in present survey), which may result in a low response rate. Furthermore, whether or not there were branches was not ascertained at the questionnaire distribution stage.
Investigator Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0561
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Union headquarters questionnaire][Union branch questionnaire]
Major Survey Items [Union headquarters survey]

(1) Company attributes
Industry, number of employees/union members per employment status, whether or not company is listed on stock market, status of management compared to five years ago, management outlook five years from now

(2) Union headquarters―inter-company employee-management consultation
Whether or not any branch-business-level employee-management consultation systems exist,headquarters-head office employee-management consultation subject items (14 items), union influence in employee-management consultations,importance of employee-management consultations compared to five years ago,company response to union demands for confidential information on management/production,scope of confidential information to be provided,position of company within corporate group,whether or not employee-management consultation agencies at the corporate group level exist

(3) Recent changes in employee-management consultation
Changes in headquarters-level employee-management consultation compared to five years ago (11 items)

(4) Diversification of employment status
Whether or not employee-management consultation on non-regular employees (direct hires/indirect hires) at union headquarters exists,voice of union headquarters in employee-management consultation on non-regular employees,employee-management discussions on proper percentage of regular employees,changes in number of employees per employment status for past five years,future company policy on number of employees,policy of labor unions on hiring/use of non-regular employees,union status of non-regular employees, reasons for using non-regular employees, hiring adjustments for the past five years

(5) Worker participation and employee-management communication
Things necessary for labor union management participation/strengthening management measures,organizational reshuffling for the past five years,role of unions in organizational reshuffling,steps to promote worker participation in branches/sectional meetings at union headquarters

(6) Communication policies other than employee-management consultation
Whether or not “workplace environment and work improvement activities” or “informal workplace discussions” are conducted,state of “workplace environment and work improvement activities” and “informal workplace discussions” and steps to implement them by union headquarters

(7) Employee-management consultation in continued employment of the elderly
Steps to secure employment pursuant to the Elderly Employment Stabilization Law,applicable subjects of steps to secure employment pursuant to the Elderly Employment Stabilization Law,opinion-gathering from employees by unions when making decisions on employee-management agreements


[Union branch survey]

(1) Business attributes
Industry, type of business, number of employees per employment status, status of management compared to five years ago, official position of respondent in union branch

(2) Union branch-business employee-management consultation
Whether or not branch-business-level employee-management consultation systems exist,branch-business employee-management consultation subject items (12 items), union influence in employee-management consultations,importance of employee-management consultations compared to five years ago,authority in branch-business employee-management consultations,changes in business-level employee-management consultations compared to five years ago (11 items)

(3) Diversification of employment status
Whether or not employee-management consultation on non-regular employees (direct hires/indirect hires) at union branch occurs,voice of union branch in employee-management consultation on non-regular employees, percentage of employees in business as of 2005 per employment status (busy/off-season status and proper percentage), employee-management discussions on proper percentage of regular employees,changes in number of employees at company for past five years,future business policy on number of employees,reasons for using non-regular employees at company, current problems of using non-regular employees, effects of non-regular employees increasing by 20%, desired jobs for non-regular employees, whether or not there are any complaints or consultation from non-regular employees, union status of non-regular employees

(4) “Typical non-regular employees”
Percentage of “typical non-regular employees” doing the same work as regular employees, jobs of “typical non-regular employees” compared to regular employees, parties responsible for communication with “typical non-regular employees” and activity status, degree of positive feeling toward activities of “typical non-regular employees,” people responsible for explaining jobs/training/handling complaints for “typical non-regular employees,” route for processing complaints from “typical non-regular employees”

(5) Communication policies other than employee-management consultation
Whether or not “workplace environment and work improvement activities” and “informal workplace discussions” are conducted and participants thereof, steps taken by workplace toward small group activities compared to five years ago, reasons for increased small-group activity compared to five years ago/reasons for no increase, things necessary for labor union management participation/strengthening management measures

(6) Participation of temporary staffing agencies and representatives of contractors in occupational health and safety activities
Whether or not temporary staffing agencies or representatives of contractors participate in occupational health and safety activities/the form of participation, details of participation in occupational health and safety activities, whether or not there are coordinated informal efforts to compare and adjust actions
Date of Release 2008/02/07
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Topics in SSJDA Employment/Labor
Version 1 : 2008-02-07
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.