賃上げ 中小企業「きれいごと」［2024.3.23］

２０２４年春闘では、日本製鉄の１４・２％の賃上げをはじめ、トヨタ自動車や日立製作所など大手企業が軒並み給与アップを打ち出した。政府は賃上げの波が中小企業にも広がることを期待する。その鍵を握るのが、生産コストの上昇分を取引先が分担する「価格転嫁」の実現だ。

２０２３年１１月、政府は価格転嫁を促す指針を公表し、労働組合と財界のトップを含めた政労使のいずれからも「価格転嫁の実現を」との大合唱が起きた。取材すると、変化の兆しは見られるが、「きれいごとだ」と突き放す見方や大企業との格差拡大を嘆く声も聞かれた。中小企業の従業員らが働く現場を歩いた。（共同通信＝小林まりえ、仲嶋芳浩）

　▽原材料費２倍、生き残りに向け価格交渉

　自動車や機械などの各産業はピラミッドの頂点に大企業が位置し、裾野に広がる多数の中小企業がサプライチェーン（供給網）を支えている。
　川崎市で精密板金業を営むスタックスは、半導体製造装置や人工衛星の部品を製造している。厚さ０・０１ミリの鉄やアルミ板を板金加工する技術が強みだ。物価高を受けて２０２１年度から賃上げを続け、全従業員の基本給を２～４％引き上げた。千葉県勝浦市と新潟県十日町市の事業所で、人材確保のため初任給をアップすることも見据えた対応だ。

経営環境は苦しい。近年は原材料費が２倍、エネルギーコストは１・５倍に膨らんだ。２０２２年、全ての納入先に対して値上げするとの方針を通知し、２０～３０社との価格交渉に乗りだした。星野佳史社長（４１）は「劇的な変化だ」と費用負担の急激な高まりに困惑しており「社内のコストダウンでは追いつかず、今までにない交渉をしている」と語る。

　製品価格を引き上げれば賃上げの原資を確保できるが、全ての企業が希望した値上げ幅を認めてくれるわけではない。交渉の資料づくりも負担だ。星野社長は「値上げは企業として生き残るためだ」と説明する。原材料を購入する立場としては、仕入れ先から値上げの要請があった場合には、査定して基本的には満額で了承している。

　星野社長は「値上げ分をどこかで負担しないとサプライチェーンが成立しないのであれば、いったんはスタックスで持つ。サービス、納期を安定させるため、大企業にもサプライチェーンを保つという意識を本気で持ってほしい」と訴える。

▽賃上げによるプライド回復を

　タオルの生産を手がける大阪府箕面市のナストーコーポレーションは２０２３年夏に従業員の給与を平均４・３％引き上げ、２０２４年も同程度の賃上げを実施する予定だ。
　尾池行郎社長（６０）は「業務改善を通じた賃上げは究極の目標だ。日本人の国際競争力が低下する中、賃上げによるプライド回復が必要だ」と語る。

　原材料費や輸送費が高騰しており、尾池社長は「商品づくりや納入先を変えないといけない」と考えている。量販店で販売する低価格帯の商品は競争が激しく、値上げが難しい。今後はそうした商品を減らした上で、スポーツブランド向けの価格競争力のある商品を強化し、スポーツ大会での景品の納入などを増やすという。

　▽「別の企業への発注も検討したい」と厳しい反応

　自動車のエンジン部品などを生産する川崎市の焼結合金加工の高柳昌睦社長（３９）は２０２２年、トップ就任をきっかけに取引先との値上げ交渉を開始した。先代社長の時代から価格設定がずっと変わっていないことに疑問を感じていた。
　だが相手からは、人件費の一部である労務費は企業努力で捻出するべきだとして「別の企業への発注も検討したい」との厳しい反応が返ってきた。交渉は難航し、その間に入った注文は、引き上げ前の従来価格で納入する事態に陥った。

だが最近は、納入先の方から値上げ交渉の相談を持ちかけてくる。引き上げ分を計算する資料も先方が準備した。高柳社長は「中小企業は感覚的に経営し、交渉する材料をそろえられない会社も多い」と話し、取引先の変化を支持する。政府が昨年公表した、労務費の価格転嫁を促す指針が「かなり効いている」と評価する。「こういった交渉が全国的に波及してほしい」と語った。

　物価高騰で従業員の生活の負担は重くなっており、賃金全体を底上げするベースアップが必要と感じている。高柳社長は「物価が高騰している。価格転嫁を原資にベースアップを実現したい」と交渉進展に望みをつなぐ。

　▽将来不安が大きく、労組の組合員２割が退職

　首都圏の別の自動車部品メーカーは、新型コロナウイルス流行後の収益低迷を受け、組合員の２割が退職した。「業績悪化による将来不安が大きい」と労働組合幹部は話す。２０２３年は従業員を引き留めるためにベースアップを実施したが、金額は３千円にとどまった。
　この組合幹部は「原材料費の上昇を受けた取引価格への転嫁は遅れており、遅れた分は自社で負担せざるを得ない。大手自動車メーカーは『賃上げの機運が中小に波及してほしい』と言うが、きれいごとだ。大手と中小で賃金格差は広がる一方だ」と嘆く。

大企業の高水準の賃上げが連日報道されているが、サプライチェーン全体は給与アップの波に乗り切れていない。「部品メーカーは本当に厳しい経営環境だ。価格転嫁を進めてほしい」と語気を強める。

　▽大手と中小の賃金差額は２３年間で最大３倍に

　中小企業の賃金停滞は、過去数十年のデフレ経済下で放置され続けてきた大きな問題だ。中小製造業が中心の産業別労働組合「ＪＡＭ」が集計したデータから、リアルな実態が読み取れる。
　ＪＡＭは組合員数３００人未満の会社と、１０００人以上の会社について、月額所定内賃金の平均値を比較した。高卒後すぐに就職した３０歳の場合、２０００年では差額が９３０７円だったが、２０２３年には２万９１８４円へと３・１倍に広がった。

　２５歳や３５歳でも同様の傾向だった。５０歳では３０歳ほどの差はないが、３００人未満の企業の場合は月当たりの賃金自体が２３年前から１万８０００円ほど減った。ＪＡＭの担当者は「賃金カーブが右肩上がりにならず伸びなかった」と分析する。デフレ経済下で、中小の下請け代金には「買いたたきが続いた」とも指摘する。

　▽賃上げを予定する中小企業の過半は業績低調

　日本商工会議所の調査では、２０２４年度に賃上げを予定する中小企業は６１・３％と前年度から３・１ポイント増えた。だが賃上げ予定企業の経営状態を見ると、業績は低調だが賃上げするとの回答が過半を占めており、内情は厳しい。
　価格転嫁の実現が収益改善の鍵を握る中、産業別労働組合「ＵＡゼンセン」の製造産業部門が２０２４年１月までに労働組合に対して行ったアンケートでは、６割が「価格転嫁は進展したが不十分」と回答した。コスト別では、人件費の一部である労務費は３６％が転嫁を全くできていなかったと答え、上乗せの難しさが際立つ。原材料費分は１５％、水道光熱費も１７％が転嫁できなかった。

　法政大の山田久教授（労働経済）は「大手を中心に賃上げの流れが定着してきたが、中小への広がりは不十分だ」と指摘する。政府は、価格転嫁の後押しに加え「企業同士で人材育成の仕組みを共有するなど、連携を促す政策を講じ、中小の生産性を高めることが必要だ」と強調した。

■英訳

In the 2024 spring labor offensive, major companies such as Nippon Steel, which announced a 14.2% wage increase, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd. have all proposed wage hikes. The government hopes that the wave of wage increases will spread to small and medium-sized enterprises. The key to this lies in realizing "cost pass-through," where trading partners share the increase in production costs.

In November 2023, the government published guidelines to promote cost pass-through, leading to a chorus from both labor unions and business leaders urging for its realization. While signs of change are evident, there are also voices dismissing it as mere rhetoric and lamenting the widening gap with large companies. This was observed as reporters walked through the workplaces of employees of small and medium-sized enterprises. (Kyodo News = Marie Kobayashi, Yoshinari Nakajima)

- Rising raw material costs: Twice the burden, negotiating prices to survive -

Various industries such as automobiles and machinery are topped by large companies at the pinnacle of the pyramid, with numerous small and medium-sized enterprises supporting the supply chain at the base.

Stacks, a precision sheet metalworking company in Kawasaki City, manufactures parts for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and artificial satellites. Their expertise lies in processing iron and aluminum sheets as thin as 0.01 millimeters. Due to high prices, they have been raising wages since the fiscal year 2021, raising the basic salary of all employees by 2-4%. This was a response aimed at securing talent, considering raising starting salaries in their facilities in Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, and Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture.

The business environment is challenging. In recent years, raw material costs have doubled, and energy costs have increased by 1.5 times. In 2022, they notified all their suppliers of their policy to raise prices and began price negotiations with 20 to 30 companies. President Yoshifumi Hoshino (41) is puzzled by the dramatic increase in costs and says, "We are facing a drastic increase in costs, and we are negotiating in ways we have never done before because we cannot keep up with cost reductions within the company."

Raising product prices can secure the funds for wage increases, but not all companies are willing to accept the price increases desired by all enterprises. Preparing negotiation materials is also burdensome. President Hoshino explains, "Price increases are necessary for the survival of the company." As a purchaser of raw materials, when there is a request for a price increase from the supplier, they generally agree to the full amount after assessing it.

President Hoshino appeals, "If we have to bear the price increase somewhere for the supply chain to function, we will bear it at Stacks for the time being. I want large companies to seriously consider maintaining the supply chain for the sake of stabilizing services and delivery times."

- Pride recovery through wage increases -

Nasto Corporation, based in Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture, which produces towels, raised its employees' salaries by an average of 4.3% in the summer of 2023 and plans to implement a similar wage increase in 2024.
President Yukiro Ikeike (60) says, "Wage increases through business improvement are the ultimate goal. Amid declining international competitiveness of Japanese people, pride recovery through wage increases is necessary."

With soaring raw material and transportation costs, President Ikeike believes that "we need to change our product manufacturing and delivery destinations." It is difficult to raise prices for products in the low-price range sold in mass retailers due to intense competition. In the future, they plan to reduce such products and strengthen competitive products for sports brands, increasing deliveries for sports events, among other strategies.

- Harsh reactions: Considering ordering from other companies -

Masamutsu Takayanagi, president of Kawasaki-based sintered alloy processing, which produces engine parts for automobiles, began price negotiations with suppliers in 2022 when he took office as president. He had questioned the unchanged pricing since the time of the previous president.
However, the response from the other party was harsh, stating that labor costs, which are part of the personnel expenses, should be covered by corporate efforts, and they were considering ordering from other companies. Negotiations were difficult, and orders placed during that time ended up being delivered at the conventional price before the increase.

However, recently, the other party has approached with discussions on price increases. They also prepared documents to calculate the increase. President Takayanagi says, "Many small and medium-sized enterprises manage their businesses intuitively and cannot prepare materials for negotiations," supporting the changes in suppliers. He evaluates that the guidelines issued by the government last year to promote the transfer of labor costs are "quite effective" and hopes that such negotiations will spread nationwide.

With the rise in prices, the burden on employees' lives has increased, and they feel the need to raise wages across the board. President Takayanagi says, "Prices are soaring. I want to realize a base-up using the transfer of prices as a source of funds" and hopes for progress in negotiations.

- Great anxiety about the future, with 20% of union members retiring -

Another automobile parts manufacturer in the Tokyo metropolitan area saw 20% of its union members retire due to a decline in earnings after the COVID-19 pandemic. "There is great anxiety about the future due to deteriorating performance," says a labor union official. In 2023, they implemented a base-up to retain employees, but the amount remained at 3,000 yen.

The union official laments, "The transfer of increased raw material costs to trading prices is delayed, and we have to bear the delayed portion ourselves. Major automobile manufacturers say they want the momentum of wage increases to spread to small and medium-sized enterprises, but it's just talk. The wage gap between major companies and small and medium-sized enterprises is widening."

Although the high-level wage increases of large companies are reported daily, the entire supply chain is struggling to cope with the wave of wage increases. "Component manufacturers are facing a really tough business environment. I want them to promote price pass-through," he emphasizes.

- Wage gap between major and small businesses widens to a maximum of three times in 23 years -

The stagnation of wages in small and medium-sized enterprises is a significant problem that has been neglected under the deflationary economy of the past few decades. Realistic conditions can be gleaned from data compiled by the industry-specific labor union "JAM," which represents mainly small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.
JAM compared the average monthly base salary for companies with fewer than 300 union members and those with over 1,000 members. For a 30-year-old who joined right after high school, the difference was 9,307 yen in 2000, but it widened to 29,184 yen, or 3.1 times, in 2023.

The same trend was observed for 25- and 35-year-olds. At age 50, there was no significant difference as at age 30, but for companies with fewer than 300 employees, the monthly wages had decreased by about 18,000 yen since 23 years ago. A JAM representative analyzes, "The wage curve hasn't risen as expected." Under the deflationary economy, they also point out that subcontracting fees for small and medium-sized enterprises have been "pressed down."

- More than half of the small and medium-sized enterprises planning wage increases are struggling financially -

According to a survey by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the percentage of small and medium-sized enterprises planning wage increases for the fiscal year 2024 increased by 3.1 points from the previous year to 61.3%. However, when looking at the financial performance of these companies planning wage increases, the majority of them are experiencing sluggish performance but still intend to raise wages, revealing a challenging internal situation.
Amidst the key role of realizing cost pass-through in improving earnings, a survey conducted by the manufacturing industry division of the industrial labor union "UA Zensen" up to January 2024 revealed that 60% of respondents answered, "Cost pass-through has progressed but is still insufficient." Regarding costs, 36% stated that they were unable to pass on any portion of labor costs, which are part of personnel expenses, highlighting the difficulty of additional charges. For raw material costs, 15% and for utilities, 17%, could not be passed on.

Professor Hisashi Yamada of Hosei University (Labor Economics) points out, "While the trend of wage increases has become established mainly among major companies, its spread to small and medium-sized enterprises is insufficient." The government emphasized the need for policies to promote collaboration, including support for shared mechanisms for talent development among companies, in addition to supporting cost pass-through. This is necessary to enhance the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises.

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