EXCLUSIVE: Daihatsu Labor Union to Seek 22,000-Yen Pay Hike

Tokyo, Feb. 12 (Jiji Press)–The labor union at Japan’s Daihatsu Motor Co. plans to demand a wage increase of 22,000 yen per month in this year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations, Jiji Press learned Thursday. The figure will surpass last year’s request of 21,200 yen and demands planned by the labor unions at Toyota Motor Corp., the parent of Daihatsu, and Honda Motor Co. for this year. The Daihatsu labor union will seek the robust pay hike as it believes that the minivehicle maker’s earnings have recovered from the slump caused by its automobile certification fraud that came to light in 2023. It did not present a wage request in the 2024 shunto in the wake of the scandal. Last year, the union sought a significant wage increase partly in order to make up for the absence of its request a year before, and the management side fully met the demand. This year, the request amount will be raised further, and the company will also demand annual bonuses equivalent to 5.7 months’ pay, up by 0.3 month. These requests will be submitted to the management side Wednesday. Toyota’s labor union is expected to seek a monthly pay hike of up to 21,580 yen, while Honda’s union is seen demanding an increase of 18,500 yen per month. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]