労働争議

• Reading: ろうどうそうぎ
• Romaji: rodo sogi
• Kanji breakdown: 労 (ro) — toil, labour | 働 (do) — to work | 争 (so) — to contend | 議 (gi) — to deliberate
• Pronunciation: /ɾo.ɯ.do.ɯ.so.ɯ.ɡi/

Meaning

Labour dispute; industrial action; a conflict between workers and management over wages, conditions, or rights.

労働争議 is the formal term for industrial conflict, encompassing strikes (ストライキ), work-to-rules (怠業), lockouts (ロックアウト), and other forms of collective action. Regulated by the 労働関係調整法 (Labour Relations Adjustment Act), disputes may be mediated by 労働委員会 (labour relations commissions). Japan's post-war labour movement saw intense 労働争議, though strike rates declined sharply after the 1970s as enterprise unionism became dominant.

Examples

1. 賃上げを巡る労働争議が長期化し、工場の生産ラインが停止した。 A labour dispute over wage increases dragged on for an extended period, bringing the factory production line to a halt.
2. 労使間の交渉が決裂したため、組合は労働争議に突入することを決議した。 As negotiations between labour and management broke down, the union resolved to enter into a labour dispute.
3. 戦後の日本では、大規模な労働争議が各産業で頻発した時期があった。 In post-war Japan, there was a period when large-scale labour disputes broke out frequently across various industries.

Usage Guide

Context: labour law, industrial relations, economics, history

Tone: serious

Origin & History

Compound of 労働 (rodo — labour; 労 'toil' + 働 'to work') and 争議 (sogi — dispute; 争 'to contend' + 議 'to deliberate'). Together they name the formal conflict that arises when labour and capital fail to reach agreement through negotiation.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji–Present

Generation: Adults and workers

Social background: Working class and educated