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Wednesday, 21 November 2007, 10:24 GMT

Japan workers strike at US bases

File image of a US fighter landing at Kadena base, Okinawa, Japan Thousands of Japanese support workers at US military bases across Japan have taken part in a strike over a planned pay cut.

The workers carried out a half-day nationwide walkout in response to a proposal to reduce their benefits.

The staff are paid by the government in Tokyo, which wants to cut costs.

It is the first such strike since 1991, but a US military official said that critical operations at bases were not being affected.

About 50,000 US military personnel are stationed at bases in Japan, which covers some of the costs under a bilateral deal. Union leaders said workers - who do jobs such as cleaning, restaurant work and maintenance - were being asked to accept a 10% pay cut.

The strike showed workers would not accept one-sided changes to their working conditions, union chairman Kazuo Yamakawa said.

The US supported workers' "peaceful exercise of their legal rights", a US military official said.



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