Labor unions at Japan's top electrical appliance makers are expected to settle for a 500 yen hike in the average basic monthly wage for fiscal 2001, union sources said Monday.
The leaders of the Japanese Electrical, Electronic & Information Union proposed Monday the union side seek a 500 yen rise in the basic wage, down from the 2,000 yen hike originally sought, in their annual spring wage-raise negotiations with management, the sources said.
As a result, the management side, which had originally sought to freeze wages, is expected to agree to the 500 yen raise for the year beginning April 1, which would be the same amount as last year, the sources said.
The average basic wage is that for a worker aged 35.
The union leaders had been intent on demanding a pay hike of at least 1,000 yen or more.
However, they had to soften their stance because the business climate has been worsening, as exemplified by the extended decline in semiconductor prices, the sources said.
Among the 17 company unions, the one representing workers at Nippon Columbia Co. decided to opt out of the collective bargaining action because of the severity of their firm's financial condition.