Most companies in the nation's four major industrial sectors on Wednesday offered no pay-scale increases beyond standard yearly hikes in spring wage talks with their labor unions, highlighting the severity of the economic slump.
The management at companies in the automobile, electronics and two other sectors, whose unions belong to the Japan Council of Metal Workers' Unions, all presented the most bearish wage offers in years to their labor unions.
Toyota Motor Corp., a trendsetter in the traditional spring labor offensive known as "shunto," said its labor union accepted the management's offer for no monthly wage hikes besides the regularly scheduled seniority-based hike of 6,500 yen.