Miike Dispute - Miike Sogi

Japanese: 三池争議 - みいけそうぎ

This is one of the most notable mass labor strikes in the history of postwar labor movements, held at the Miike Mining Works of Mitsui Mines (Miike Coal Mine). It took place twice, in 1953 (Showa 28) and from 1959 to 1960.

[Hiroshi Matsuo]

1953

With the low global prices of coal and heavy oil putting pressure on domestic coal, and major coal mines cutting staff, and small and medium-sized mines closing down and closing down, 50,000 miners lost their jobs, Mitsui Mining announced on August 7th that it would cut staff in six mines in total (1,071 of them in Miike) in order to streamline the company. The All Mitsui Coal Miners' Union Confederation (Sankoren) rejected this and entered into a strike, with the company soliciting voluntary retirements and then firing people designated for dismissal. However, with the exception of the Yamano and Tagawa mines, where the number of people to be restructured was met with voluntary retirements, the union, centered on the main Miike coal mine, based itself on small organizations in the workplace and company housing, or with the cooperation of housewives organized in the Japan Coal Mine Wives Council (Tanfukyo), and making full use of new tactics such as designated strikes, partial strikes, and safety compliance struggles, won the reversal of the dismissals of 1,841 people (including 311 in Miike) who refused to be fired on November 27th, and settled the matter in victory.

[Hiroshi Matsuo]

1959-60

In 1955, the Coal Mining Rationalization Temporary Measures Law was enacted due to the shift to heavy oil as an energy source, and inefficient coal mines were closed. In 1959, 18 major coal companies embarked on rationalization, including laying off 110,000 employees, in order to lower coal prices. On January 19, Mitsui Mines invited 6,000 voluntary retirees, but only 1,324 applied. On August 28, they announced a second rationalization plan, including the dismissal of 4,580 employees (including 2,210 in Miike), and, despite opposition from the union, went ahead with the voluntary retirement invitation in October. However, the number of employees at Miike was not enough, so on December 11, the company designated and fired 1,297 employees, including 300 union executives and activists, and closed the mine on January 25 the following year. The Miike Labor Union went on a full-scale strike, but in March those opposed to the strike formed a second union with the support of the Sankoren, and tried to resume production together with the company, leading to a clash between the first and second unions. The first union had secured the hopper (coal storage tank) at the Mikawa mine, so they could not remove the coal even after it was mined, and the company applied for a provisional disposition to stop the company from interfering with business operations, but the first union managed to secure it with the support of union members affiliated with Sohyo (General Council of Japanese Trade Unions). The union hoped that the struggle to prevent the revision of the Japan-US Security Treaty (Security Treaty struggle) that had been ongoing since the previous year would intensify, but this also calmed down by July, and with the mediation of the Central Labor Relations Commission at the request of the Ikeda Cabinet, the company withdrew the targeted dismissals, and the dispute was resolved on November 1st under the conditions that the affected employees voluntarily resigned.

[Hiroshi Matsuo]

"Miike 20 Years," edited by the Miike Coal Mine Workers' Union (1967, Labor Junposha)" ▽ "Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd., edited by the Miike Dispute Documents (1963, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations Public Relations Department)"

[References] | Labor Movement

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

三井鉱山三池鉱業所（三池炭鉱）で展開された戦後労働運動史上に残る大量人員整理反対争議。1953年（昭和28）と59～60年との2回ある。

［松尾　洋］

1953年

世界的な石炭・重油の安値が国産炭を圧迫し、大手炭鉱の人員整理、中小炭鉱の休・廃山などで5万人の炭鉱労働者が失職する情勢下で、三井鉱山は8月7日、企業合理化のため六山合計6739人（うち三池1071人）の人員整理を発表した。全三井炭鉱労働組合連合会（三鉱連）はこれを拒否して争議に入り、会社側は希望退職者募集、さらに指名解雇を行ったが、希望退職者で整理人員を満たした山野・田川両鉱山を除き、組合は主力の三池炭鉱を中心に職場・社宅の小組織を基礎に、あるいは日本炭鉱主婦協議会（炭婦協）に組織される主婦の協力を得、また指名スト、部分スト、保安順法闘争などの新戦術を駆使し、11月27日解雇拒否者1841人（うち三池311人）の解雇撤回を得て勝利解決した。

［松尾　洋］

1959～60年

1955年、エネルギー源の重油への転換により石炭鉱業合理化臨時措置法が公布され、非能率炭鉱が廃坑化されることになった。59年、石炭大手18社は炭価引下げのため11万人の整理を含む合理化の実施に踏み切り、三井鉱山では1月19日、6000人の希望退職者を募集したが、応募者は1324人にすぎず、8月28日4580人（うち三池2210人）の解雇などの第二次合理化案を発表し、組合の反対を排して10月から希望退職者募集を強行した。しかし、三池では整理人員に満たず、会社は12月11日組合幹部・活動家300人を含む1297人を指名解雇し、翌年1月25日炭鉱を閉鎖した。三池労組は全面ストに突入したが、3月には争議反対派が三鉱連の支持のもとに第二組合を結成、会社とともに生産を再開しようとしたので、第一、第二組合は激突した。第一組合は同炭鉱三川坑のホッパー（貯炭槽）を確保していたので、採炭しても運び出すことができず、会社申請による業務妨害排除の仮処分が執行されたが、第一組合は総評（日本労働組合総評議会）系組合員の支援を得てこれを確保し通した。組合側は、前年来の日米安全保障条約改定阻止闘争（安保闘争）の高まりに期待したが、それも7月には鎮静化し、池田内閣の要請に基づく中央労働委員会の斡旋(あっせん)により、会社は指名解雇を撤回し、該当者は自発的に退職するなどの条件で11月1日争議は解決した。

［松尾　洋］

『三池炭鉱労働組合編『みいけ20年』（1967・労働旬報社）』▽『三井鉱山株式会社編著『資料・三池争議』（1963・日本経営者団体連盟弘報部）』

[参照項目] | 労働運動

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

<<: Miikedaira Tomb - Miikedaira Tomb

>>: Miare Shinto Ritual - Miare Shinji