The National Railway Workers Union (Kokuro) decided Saturday to vote in September on accepting a proposal by four political parties aimed at resolving the union's long-standing dispute with Japan Railway group firms, Kokuro officials said.
Kokuro made the decision during an extraordinary union convention in Tokyo.
All the union's leaders had planned to resign during the convention due to internal conflict over the proposal, but have decided to retain their posts until the next regular convention scheduled for late October, the officials said.
In May, the three ruling parties -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- and the opposition Social Democratic Party agreed to work toward resolving the 13-year-old employment dispute between Kokuro and JR.
Under the agreement, the ruling coalition will ask JR to hire Kokuro members dismissed after the 1987 privatization and breakup of Japanese National Railways, JR's predecessor, on condition that Kokuro admit that JR bears no legal responsibility for failing to hire its members.
The seven-member Kokuro leadership headed by Yoshinori Takahashi has drawn criticism from union members over their plans to accept the proposal.