Classification of labor unions by membership scope.
Overview
Types of Labor Unions
Labor unions are classified into enterprise-based unions, industrial unions, craft unions, and regional unions (community unions) based on membership scope. In Japan, enterprise-based unions are overwhelmingly dominant, accounting for over 90% of the private sector. This is closely related to Japan's unique employment practices such as lifetime employment and seniority-based wage systems.
labor union
labor law
labor relations
enterprise union
industrial union
spring labor offensive
| code | slug | name | description | alternativeName | prevalence | examples | targetAudience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | enterprise-union | Enterprise Union | A labor union organized by workers belonging to a specific company, regardless of job type. | Local Union | Most common in Japan (over 90% of private sector) | ||
| 2 | industrial-union | Industrial Union | A cross-company labor union organized by workers engaged in the same industry, regardless of company. | Single Industry Union | JAW, JEIU, UA Zensen, JAM, BCU, EPRC, JICYU | ||
| 3 | craft-union | Craft Union | A labor union organized by workers engaged in the same occupation across company boundaries. | Craft Union | Japan Professional Baseball Players Association, Japan Care Terminal, Osaka Construction Workers Union | ||
| 4 | regional-union | Regional Union | A labor union (community union) organized on an individual membership basis in a specific region. | Community Union, General Labor Union | SME employees, non-regular workers such as part-time, temporary, and dispatched workers |