The Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) said it will seek to secure employment rather than boost wages during its spring wage negotiations.

In its white paper for the 2002 spring labor offensive, revealed Tuesday, Rengo stressed the necessity of easing employment concerns and boosting individual consumption to prevent a deflationary spiral.

The paper says Rengo aims to limit its wage-raise demands, despite having sought a pay increase of more than 1 percent in its spring labor offensive for 2001.

The union will promote work-sharing as a means of reducing job losses and securing employment, the paper says.

Rengo stressed, however, that it is necessary for workers to check their work hours to put an end to the practice of overtime without pay.

Rengo also dismissed managers' assertions that wages in Japan should be reduced substantially as wage levels for Japanese workers are higher than in other countries.

Workers would not be able to maintain their lifestyles if wages fell to the level of Chinese workers, for example, and it would be difficult to secure a highly capable workforce, the white paper says.

Rengo has already decided to adopt guidelines for the 2002 spring labor offensive, under which it will seek to secure a regular wage raise linked to age.