The weighted average of wage hikes demanded by 2,939 member unions of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, in this year's shuntō labor-management negotiations came to 6.09%, a Rengo survey showed Thursday.
It is the first time in 32 years for the average wage hike request to exceed 6%, amid the soaring cost of living and labor shortages.
As of Monday, the average was ¥19,244, up ¥1,638 from the previous year, with pay scale hikes requested by 2,454 labor unions averaging ¥14,283, or a 4.51% increase.
Among the unions, those with fewer than 300 members asked for an average wage hike of 6.57%, exceeding the 6% target set by Rengo for small unions.
"I felt the determination of the smaller labor unions in this shuntō," Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino said at a news conference on Thursday. "I hope that the demands of each union will be fully met," she said.
On Wednesday, many large companies will announce their responses to their unions' demands.
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