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Announcements
Chomsky Tells Tozen that Systems of Power Don’t Say Thank Youノーム・チョムスキーから東ゼンへ：「権力者は、反対する者にはお礼を言わない」
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Tozen Activists Chat with Activist Noam Chomsky
ノーム・チョムスキーは来日中、東ゼン労組の活動家と話し合いを
Leaders and members of Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (“Tozen Union”) met Saturday afternoon (March 8, 2014) with Professor Noam Chomsky at Café Lavandería in Shinjuku, Tokyo, at an event hosted by Tokyo Spring.
２０１４年３月８日、
The activist and linguist expressed great interest in the activities of both Tozen Union and Tokyo Spring. “I’d like to know what you guys are doing,” Chomsky said.
チョムスキー教授は東ゼン労組と東京スプリングの活動に関して深
Several members of both organizations asked questions and related their experiences in activism and organizing.
集まれた活動家はチョムスキー教授に質問をしたり、
Tozen member Matthew Allen discussed the dangers of union leaders becoming a “coordinator class” with unwarranted power. Chomsky suggested that efforts to eliminate all division of labor have failed.
東ゼン労組のマシュー・
Sulejman Brkic, Tokyo Spring activist and member of Tozen Union, MCed the event, while Tozen Union General Secretary Louis Carlet interpreted between Japanese and English. Tozen President Hifumi Okunuki presented Chomsky with a calligraphy-written haiku (see below). Brkic gave him the black and red flag of anarcho-communism on behalf of Tokyo Spring.
東京スプリングの活動家および東ゼン労組の組合員を兼ねるスレ
Chomsky encouraged Tozen and Tokyo Spring activists to continue their efforts and said “Anything that you are achieving that undermines and threatens systems of power will meet with oppression. Systems of power don’t say ‘thank you.’ What’s important is not to focus all your efforts on the oppression, but to continue the constructive work.”
チョムスキー教授は東ゼン労組と東京スプリングの活動を励ました
Tozen Gaba Workers Union in Dispute with Gaba 全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオンGABA労働組合はGABAに対して労働紛争
The Tozen GABA Workers Union is officially in dispute with the company over it’s unfair disciplinary action (不当懲戒処分) against Local Executive President Tyler Christensen.
We are fighting for the right to work unpaid overtime.
Say what?
Yes, we are fighting for the right to work unpaid overtime without facing discipline from the company.
NCC organizing a labor union
株式会社エヌ・シイ・シイ
ＮＣＣ綜合英語学院 学院長秘書室
〒160-0023 東京都新宿区西新宿7丁目15-4 YS第一ビル 受付4階
東京新宿本部
• Temporary employment contracts
• Poor communication from management
• No pay raises given to teachers regardless of length of service or qualifications.
• Limited office space for foreign work staff
• Lack of transparency
• No procedures to deal with extreme weather
If you have issues with any of the above, join fellow teachers by unionising and improving your working conditions at NCC.
Email: organizing@tokyogeneralunion.org for more information or for a membership package to be sent to you.
Shakai Hoken Seminar
Everything you always wanted to know about Shakai Hoken.
Learn all the facts about Japan’s Shakai Hoken health and pension system and let us disabuse you of some persistent myths. Questions will be answered after the seminar.
JCFL・JAPAN COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
日本外国語専門学校（JCFL・JAPAN COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES)は、誠実に団体交渉のテーブルにつくべきだ！
「通訳ガイド養成所」の設立から、41年の歳月が経ちました。」と自らのホームページで謳うように、数多くの通訳のプロを輩出してきた日本外国語専門学校（JCFL／JAPAN COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES) 。それなのに、組合との団体交渉になると、組合員らの使用言語（英語）の通訳を一切拒絶し、「交渉は日本語でのみやる。通訳をつけるなら組合でつけろ」の一点張りで、約半年の間、実質的な団体交渉を拒否し続けています。そもそもの発端は、組合加入通告をした一人の組合員が、通告のわずか２週間後に契約更新の拒絶を受けたことによります、当初より日本外国語専門学校は、団体交渉を行う際に、「ここは日本であり、日本語でしか団交に応じない」、「通訳の手配は組合でやれ」との姿勢を押し通しました。英語講師らの職場での労使関係上の使用言語は常に英語であり、必要なときは学校側が必ず通訳者を準備しています。それなのに、なぜ、組合との団交になると、通常の労使関係と一変した扱いをするのでしょうか。それでも、組合は、一人の組合員の職の喪失という重大な問題の解決を何よりも優先するために、母語ではない日本語で、必死に交渉をしてきました。しかし、組合員らの通常の労使関係上の言語ではない言語での交渉はうまくいきません。何度も言葉に詰まっても、学校側は知らんぷりです。さらにひどいのは、学校側は常にプロの通訳者を同席させているにもかかわらず、通訳者は一切の通訳をせず、ただ黙って団交の様子を見守っていることです。いったい、何のために同席させているのでしょうか。嘲笑されているかのような姿勢に、組合は毎回大きな無力感と屈辱感を抱いています。組合は、日本外国語専門学校に対して、実質的な中身のある団交に向けて努力をするよう、強く求めます。
Tokyo Area GABA workers unionize
2012年9月28日
〒151-0062
東京都渋谷区元代々木町 30-13 グラスシティ元代々木 4F
03-5790-7000 (TEL)
03-5790-7145 (FAX)
株式会社 GABA
代表取締役社長 増田崇之殿
GABA Corporation President Takayuki Masuda
全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン
執行委員長 ルイス・カーレット 全
国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン GABA 労働組合
執行委員長 ジェイソン・コームス
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union
President Louis Carlet
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union
GABA Workers Union
President Jason Combs
組合結成通知並びに団体交渉の申し入れ
Notice of Union Formation and Demand for Collective Bargaining
拝啓 秋冷の候、貴社におかれましてはますますご盛栄のこととお喜び申し上げます。
We hope your business is doing well this autumn.
私たちは、貴社に勤務する下記の講師が、全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン(以下、「組合」と いう)の下に全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン GABA 労働組合(以下、「支部」という)という支 部組合を結成したことを通知いたします。貴社は本日より、組合員の雇用・労働条件並びにその他 労働条件に関連する事項について、当組合並びに支部と協議決定する義務のあることを申し添えま す。
We hereby notify you that the instructors below have formed the Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union GABA Workers Union (hereafter, “local”) under the Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (hereafter, “union”). We ask that management negotiate in good faith during collective bargaining regarding members’ employment and working conditions as well as other matters related to working conditions.
当組合並びに支部は、良好なる労使関係を確立するために誠意を持って交渉に臨む所存です。それ故、 貴社は不当労働行為など行うことなく、速やかに当組合並びに支部との団体交渉に応じられるよう要請いた します。なお、団体交渉を拒否することは、労働組合法第7条に違反する不当労働行為であることを念のた めに申し添えておきます。
In order to create good labor-management relations, our union intends to negotiate in good faith. We call on the company to respond promptly to our request for collective bargaining so as not to commit an unfair labor practice under labor law. We remind the company that declining a request for collective bargaining is a violation of Article 7 of Trade Union Law.
Union Victory Over JALSS
Tokyo District Court orders Jal Haken (Max Ali. owner of JALSS) to pay unpaid wages totaling nearly 2 million yen to three defendants, all members of Tozen Union.
東ゼン労組3名の、（JALSSの代表者であるマックス・アリー氏が経営している）ジャル派遣を相手にした賃金未払いの訴訟において、完全勝利！
Shakai Hoken Seminar
Do you know your rights when it comes to Shakai Hoken?
Chances are that management has mislead you about your legal rights to proper insurance and pension.
Find out everything you wanted to know about unemployment, health, workplace accident, nursing care and pension insurance from experts, Social Labor Consultant Takeo Eitani and Tozen Paralegal Hifumi
Okunuki.
Sunday, March 4 at 2pm, at our office.
Free Admission
Directions:
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union
Kokubo Building 3B, Yamabukicho 294, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0801
Google Map Link | Mapion Map Link
全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン
〒162-0801 東京都新宿区山吹町294小久保ビル3B
FAX: 050-3488-6734
Berlitz loses suit over union teacher strikes
The Tokyo District Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by Berlitz Japan Inc. that sought damages from union executives and its teachers for waging strikes and causing substantial damage to the company.
Presiding Judge Hiroshi Watanabe sided with the labor union and its workers, saying acts by the defendants “do not comprise any illegality.”
“There is no reason to deny the legitimacy of the strikes,” including their purpose or process, the court ruled.
Berlitz, the plaintiff, filed the lawsuit in December 2008. The language school chain claimed executives of the National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu, and affiliate Berlitz General Union Tokyo (Begunto) — particularly five activist, non-Japanese Berlitz teachers — conducted illegal strikes for 11 months beginning in December 2007.
According to the plaintiffs, union activities including coordinated strikes and delay of written notice of strikes “put the company’s existence itself in peril.” The plaintiffs claimed that acts by the defendants affected 3,455 classes during the span and caused some of its students to leave the school.
The company had sought compensation of ¥110 million each from Nambu, Begunto, an executive from each group and the five Berlitz teachers. The strikes involved more than 100 unionized foreign teachers of the chain.
The defendants meanwhile had said their strikes were within their rights, after Berlitz in 2007 rejected their requests, including a demand for a 4.6 percent raise and a bonus payment equal to a month’s pay.
According to the defendants, teachers at Berlitz hadn’t won an across-the-board raise for over 16 years. They claimed the lawsuit violated their right to union activities and collective action.
While similar civil cases have often been settled out of court, the case saw an extended period of negotiations that ultimately ended without an agreement.
Defense lawyer Yukiko Akutsu, who criticized the plaintiffs for causing the case to drag on for over three years, called Monday’s ruling “a complete victory” for her clients.
While touching on the possibility that the plaintiffs may file an appeal, Akutsu told a meeting following the ruling that the court “recognized that each of the strikes was legitimate.”