1)  Development of an arrangement for diverse work-styles
For various people to work effectively, it is necessary to grasp not only their capabilities, but also their living environments, attitudes toward work and many other factors.  When they are given different work-styles to choose from to fit their values and needs, the working people can achieve their full potential, be evaluated in a fair manner and improve their productivity.  JSD is trying to develop such an arrangement.

2)  Attainment of work life balance
Trade unions should help working people to achieve their full potential while achieving balance between challenging work and rich private life.  The distribution and service industry is notorious for long working hours.  JSD is advancing a reform in this area by analysing how working hours relate to the result of work in terms of both quantity and quality and how time should be perceived and divided between work and life.

3)  Realisation of equality and equal treatment
The challenge of attaining equality and equal treatment across all different work-styles has been a top priority year-round negotiation policy for the affiliate unions.  JSD has conducted various day-to-day activities in this area and will continue to do so.

These three points are interrelated with one another and need to be handled in a synergistic way.  In addition, they will be promoted not just as policies, but also as practical activities throughout the organisation.

1)  Creation of a labour society that respects diverse work-styles
The distribution and service industry is always expected to create productivity enhancing goods and services, develop new markets and strengthen corporate viability.  This requires the imagination, as well as the ability to act, of people working there.  So, recognising once again that people are important resources in restructuring working conditions, JSD will strongly promote its programmes on basic working conditions such as wages and working hours in collaboration with its affiliates.  JSD will also advance research activities for human resources and career development.

2)  Formulation of industrial policies for higher value and social status
To achieve sustainable economic growth, it is necessary to improve industry-wide productivity and strive for stable growth driven by the domestic demand.  JSD will undertake studies to improve productivity in the distribution and service industry.  To do so, JSD will leverage the JSD Policy Network to make efficient use of information and wisdom accumulated in Rengo, external think tanks, UNI and its affiliates.  As specific measures under the industrial policies, JSD will develop some guidelines on how to address the issue of corporate social responsibility, how to promote employment of handicapped people, and so on.  JSD is also studying the possibility of expanding industry-wide internship systems, as well as its stance on store open hours during the New Year holidays.

3)  Promotion of Political Activities
Political activities are important and indispensable as JSD tries to have its policies reflected in the nation’s administrative and legislative processes.

The basic stance of JSD is to respect its own autonomy as an industry-wide federation and to assist and lobby those individual politicians who appreciate JSD's policies or Friend-of-JSD parliamentarians (there are five national and one local today), rather than engaging itself in political activities initiated by specific political parties.  To assure a shared understanding of policies with them, JSD holds “Policy Symposia” on specific policy issues by inviting Friend-of-JSD parliamentarians as guest speakers.

On the other hand, there could be no effective political activities if each individual union member did not develop an interest in politics in the first place.  Whenever national or local elections are held, JSD launches “Go to the Poll” campaigns. 

4)  Expanded and Enhanced Organisation
Needless to say, expanding its own organisation is an imperative for any organisation to become stronger.  JSD is facilitating the formation of unions at unorganised companies in service-related industries, which includes hotels, restaurants, and the finance industry, in addition to retailing.  At organised companies, JSD is organising those in part-time and term employment who are still outside union membership, as well as those working for subsidiary companies.

In the distributive and service industry, the current trend of decreasing full-time employment and increasing part-time and other term employment is predicted to continue.  Given the circumstances, JSD is committed to becoming an industry-wide federation with a membership of 200,000 that organises working people in diverse styles of employment.

When there is a sign that a company will be forced to make a hard decision to declare bankruptcy, close operations, or transfer business under harsh financial conditions, the affiliate at the company will closely cooperate with the relevant Trade Section of JSD to work out all necessary measures to cope with the impact.

When a company goes bankrupt, action is taken immediately, primarily to secure labour credits and assist the affected workers in finding new jobs. 

In view of the recent increase in corporate buyouts and resurrection by investment funds, JSD is collecting and analysing information on their activities to improve its capability to cope with future developments.

5)  Promotion of corporate and industry-wide labour management relations
The environment may change, but trade unions continue to be organisations that are designed to maintain and improve the working conditions and other economic status of working people.  As the sole entity that can talk and negotiate with the employer on a equal footing, JSD will take more proactive measures to watch the running of the company, promote the sharing of information between labour and management, make suggestions based on the voice of union members and, by so doing, help make the company more attractive and viable.

To promote the effort to create a gender-equal society, JSD will try to make the philosophy of gender equality well understood and practised on a daily basis in all areas of union activities.

Specifically, JSD established “Office for Gender Equal Society” in 2005 with the objective of checking policies and promoting activities from the viewpoint of gender equality.  At the JSD Secretariat level, the office convenes a meeting consisting of 18 members (12 women and 6 men) from each sector and department 10 times a year to check all policies from the viewpoint of gender equality, and draft guidelines for actions by member unions.

Each member union nominates an official in charge of “Gender Equality.”  JSD supports networking of these officials exchanging information on their experiences.  They meet once a year to review their actions based on the guidelines.

A strong socio-economic infrastructure that supports the local community is key to the sound development of the distribution and service in any locality.  From the viewpoint of human resource development, JSD will promote this movement to strengthen the power of the community. 

A community is defined broadly to cover an entire geographical area.  Activities are carried out on a prefectural level.  After identifying present issues of the area and designing an ideal future for the community, JSD makes suggestions to the relevant municipal government, Rengo’s local federation and other related organisations.

In Japan the trade union movement in the distribution and service industry is divided up by two major industry-wide federations--JSD and UI Zensen.  A new industry-wide organisation is definitely needed in this industry today in order to respond properly to the changing environment, better serve its own members and the national centre and greatly contribute to society in general.  JSD will join this initiative to help create an effective organisation with an increased international influence.  Currently, the two organisations are energetically pursuing talks on this matter.

As the economy becomes more and more global, JSD is making every effort to maintain its international presence by playing its part in the venue of Union Network International (UNI) as one of its members while at the same time building a trade union movement with policies well aligned with the international community.

Situated in Asia, JSD is also committed to establishing healthy labour management relations, as well as strengthening and vitalising democratic trade unions, in the commerce sector in the UNI-APRO region in particular.

Following the decision made by UNI to hold its third World Congress in Nagasaki, Japan, JSD has been working together with other Japanese UNI affiliates to make necessary preparations.  This is giving JSD a unique opportunity to take in a global viewpoint throughout its day-to-day activities.

JSD has bilateral exchange and assistance programmes with many overseas unions including the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the Chinese Financial, Commercial, Light Industry and Tobacco Workers' Union, the Korean Federation of Private Service Workers' Unions (KFSU), the Vietnam National Union of Workers in Commerce and Tourism (VNUWCT) and the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees' Association (SDA) of Australia.  Aiming at mutual benefits and with clearly defined purposes, these activities are expected to promote mutual understanding, develop a shared perception of issues and foster friendship.

JSD will further improve its capability to provide its members and affiliates with rich union services that can strengthen the organisation by making JSD closer to them and fostering a sense of solidarity.

1) Human Development
<By JSD Headquarters>

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2) Mutual Aid
For each and every member to live a peaceful and fulfilling life, JSD is operating mutual aid (insurance) systems based on the spirit of self-help and self-reliance, leveraging its economy of scale provided by its membership of 190,000.

One major pillar is the group mutual aid scheme with large life insurance benefits for the members, which realises the ideal of big insurance for small premium.  Another major pillar is voluntary mutual aid for individuals, which comprises pension and medical insurance.  As the public systems are cutting down on their benefits, these JSD programs are designed to support its members in their self-help effort. 

3) Business Activities
JSD provides services to its members in the form of JSD Inc.'s business activities. 

The largest undertaking is the issuance of JSD Cards to JSD members and their spouses. As well as functioning as a credit card, the card also allows cardholders to receive 5-20% discounts at over 300 stores designated by JSD, such as department stores, hotels, car rental companies and funeral homes. 

JSD also offers to its members various tours and hotel accommodation at preferential prices on behalf of other service providers.

4) Survey Activities
As part of its regular research efforts, JSD conducts two surveys every year--one on working conditions and the other on wages--in addition to a study on union members’ work life, which is done every two years.