Social Contract

Japanese: 社会契約 - しゃかいけいやく

An agreement between the government and trade unions in which the government promises to implement social and economic policies that contribute to improving the lives of workers in return for the trade unions refraining from demanding improvements in working conditions (wages, working hours, etc.). A representative example is the one concluded in the UK in 1974 between the Labour government and the TUC, but similar movements can be seen in other countries. It is a gentleman's agreement in nature and is understood as one way of advancing the labour movement. In the UK, in order to avoid stagflation (a phenomenon in which economic growth stagnates and prices rise at the same time), attempts were made to suppress wages through income policies, but these were unsuccessful due to opposition from trade unions.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

労働組合が労働条件(賃金，労働時間など)の改善要求を自粛する見返りとして，政府が労働者の生活改善に資するような社会･経済政策の実施を約束する，政府と労働組合の間の協定。イギリスで1974年に労働党内閣とTUCとの間で結ばれたものが代表的であるが，これに類する動きは各国でみられる。その性格は紳士協定であり，労働運動の進め方の一つとして理解されている。　イギリスではスタグフレーション(経済成長の停滞と物価上昇が同時的に起こる現象)を回避するため，たびたび所得政策によって賃金抑制が図られたが，労働組合の反発によって不成功に終わった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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