コロナ禍の春闘スタート　経団連「雇用最優先」―賃上げ、厳しい交渉に

　２０２１年春闘の幕開けとなる「経団連労使フォーラム」が２６日、開かれた。新型コロナウイルス禍で先行き不透明感が強い中、経団連の中西宏明会長はあいさつで「事業の継続と雇用の維持を最優先」にする考えを強調。一方、連合の神津里季生会長は「どうやって賃上げの流れ、モメンタム（勢い）を維持するかが最大のテーマだ」と訴えた。
　中西氏のあいさつは経団連事務局が代読した。大企業の賃上げ率は昨年まで７年連続で２％以上を確保してきた。中西氏も「賃金引き上げのモメンタム維持を期待する」との姿勢を示したが、コロナ禍が重くのしかかる今春闘は、賃上げと雇用をめぐり厳しい交渉が繰り広げられそうだ。賃上げが低水準にとどまった場合、個人消費の減速を通じて景気に影響する可能性もある。（2021/01/26-19:09）

This year's "shunto" spring management-labor wage negotiations in Japan effectively kicked off on Tuesday, as the two sides began sparring on whether to raise wages or prioritize protecting employment amid the novel coronavirus epidemic.
   A forum hosted by the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, was held the same day, the first since the coronavirus spread nationwide last year.
   "Sincere discussions are needed to overcome the coronavirus crisis and raise competitiveness, with top priority given to the continuation of business operations and the protection of employment," Keidanren Director General Masakazu Kubota said at the forum on behalf of Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi, who is currently hospitalized.
   Rikio Kozu, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, is expected to make a speech in the afternoon.
   In its shunto negotiations guidelines for member companies, Keidanren said that it is "unrealistic" for businesses to raise wages uniformly, as the coronavirus crisis is impacting them in varying degrees.