The wage levels of national public servants have been determined based on recommendations by the National Personnel Authority every year since 1948. The system makes up for the restrictions imposed on government workers' basic labor rights, including the right to strike.
Without the NPA's recommendations, the Kan administration plans to reduce the wages of national public servants. It aims to use the savings from wage cuts to rebuild the Tohoku-Pacific areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
At first, the government planned to cut wages by a uniform 10 percent to save some ¥300 billion. Facing opposition, it proposed May 17 an average cut of 8 percent — 10 percent for ministry division chiefs and higher-ranking officials, 8 percent for ministry deputy division chiefs, and 5 percent for workers in lower ranks.