コロナ禍、「賃上げ」で深い溝　経団連と連合がトップ会談―春闘

　経団連と連合の両会長が２７日午前、東京都内で会談し、２０２１年春闘をめぐり意見交換した。新型コロナウイルス感染急拡大で社会や経済環境が激変する中、基本給を底上げするベースアップ（ベア）の必要性などを訴えた連合側に対し、経団連側は働きがいを重視していく考えを主張。賃上げをめぐる両者の溝は例年以上に大きく、今春闘は難しい交渉が予想される。
　連合の神津里季生会長は冒頭あいさつで「この２０年あまりで日本の平均賃金は下がっており、デフレ脱却と経済の好循環に向けた取り組みは緒に就いたばかりだ」と強調した。
　経団連の中西宏明会長は、欠席の予定を変更して入院先の病院からオンラインで参加。賃金水準の低さに対する危機感を共有した上で、「働きがいを実感できる職場環境づくりが今回の春闘の大きなテーマになる」と述べた。（2021/01/27-11:35）

A perception gap between the leaders of a major business organization and the umbrella group of labor unions in Japan over pay hikes turned out to be wider than in usual years, as this year's "shunto" labor-management wage negotiations started in earnest on Wednesday.
   The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, claimed that pay-scale hikes are needed at a time when social and economic environments are changing rapidly due to the spread of coronavirus infections, while the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, expressed its eagerness to put a priority on job satisfaction.
   At the opening of the day's meeting with Keidanren Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi, Rengo President Rikio Kozu said, "The average wage in Japan fell over the past 20-plus years and efforts to overcome deflation and realize a virtuous economic cycle have just begun."
   Nakanishi joined the meeting from the hospital where he is being treated using an online system. He had initially planned to skip the meeting.
   While sharing a sense of crisis with Kozu over low wage levels, Nakanishi said, "A big theme of this year's shunto will be how to create a working environment that would allow employees to have job satisfaction."