the bluest of the blue chips

2014年の春闘は自動車や電機などの主要企業がベアに相当する賃金改善やボーナスを組合側に一斉に回答しました。

Japan top firms raise pay; but benefit seen blunted by sales tax hike

Big Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor Corp offered the most generous pay raises in years on Wednesday, a victory for the government's efforts to defeat deflation, but workers will still struggle to offset a looming sales tax increase.

Under heavy pressure from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to help kick-start a durable recovery with hefty pay increases, major firms like Toyota (7203.T), Hitachi Ltd (6501.T) and Panasonic Corp (6752.T) responded more generously than some experts had expected to union wage demands.

Still, this first batch of companies in Japan's annual "spring labor offensive" represent the bluest of the blue chips; the vast majority of Japanese employees work for smaller companies that haven't benefited as much from "Abenomics."

Japanese companies are enjoying bumper profits thanks to Abe's massive stimulus policies and the resulting weak yen. But this year the companies had to take on not only their unions but also the ostensibly pro-business Abe administration.

Toyota, a benchmark on pay raises, will give its Japan-based workers their biggest raise in monthly pay in 21 years in the business year starting in April.

Base pay, a critical component that is hard for companies to reverse during downturns, will rise by 2,700 yen ($26.20) a month, the first increase in six years but less than its union's demand for a 4,000 yen increase.
Including bonuses, total compensation will rise 7.6 percent.

http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/106862.php

bluechipsはすでに扱ったように「優良銘柄、優良株、（企業）大手」のことですが、それをさらにbluesrと最上級で形容しているところが味噌です。「優良銘柄中の最優良銘柄」、つまり「最大大手」あたりでしょうか。（UG）

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20120330/1333095848
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20130121/1358703175