The All-Japan Shipbuilding and Engineering Union (SEU, , Zenzōsen, also known as ''Zen Nihon Zōsen Kikai Rōdō Kumiai'') was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

in Japan, representing workers in the ship-building and ship repair industry. The union was established in September 1946, shortly after the end of World War II. Zenzōsen is a

federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

of individual, enterprise-level unions - the normal model of trades unionism in Japan. It was initially the dominant union in the Japanese shipbuilding industry, but was eventually eclipsed by the

Japan Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Workers' Unions The Japan Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Workers' Unions (, Zosenjukiroren) was a trade union representing workers in manufacturing industries in Japan. The union was founded in 1972 on the initiative of the General Federation of S ...

. Zenzōsen was the more militant of the two unions, and was more strongly represented at the smaller shipyards. Zenzōsen was affiliated to the

Japanese Socialist Party The was a major socialist and progressive political party in Japan which existed from 1945 to 1996. The party was the primary representative of the Japanese left and main opponent of the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party for most of its ex ...

. The union affiliated to the

Federation of Independent Unions The Association of Neutral Labour Unions (中立労働組合連絡会議, ''Chūritsu rōdō kumiai renraku kaigi''), better known by its Japanese abbreviation Chūritsu Rōren, was a national trade union federation in Japan from 1956 to 1987. Ch� ...

, and by 1970 it had 53,600 members. Later, it transferred to the

Japanese Trade Union Confederation Rengo is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the Zona Central, Chile, Zona Central of Chile, situated in the Cachapoal Province of the O'Higgins Region at a distance of south of the city of Rancagua and sout ...

. By 1996, its membership was down to 3,226, and in 2016 it dissolved.

References

{{Authority control Shipbuilding trade unions Trade unions in Japan Trade unions established in 1946 Trade unions disestablished in 2016