Media

Asahi Shimbun interviews Tozen Executive about the Permanent Residency Bill

by

This article was originally hosted on the Asahi Shimbun website. Written by Hirayama Ari.

永住権を持つ外国人の永住資格を取り消せる規定を含む法改正に反対する在日外国人らが19日、東京都内で記者会見し、「不安でたまらない」などと訴えた。

政府は、外国人労働者を受け入れる在留資格「育成就労」の創設を柱とした入管難民法などの改正案を15日に閣議決定した。従来の技能実習制度に代わり、就労1～2年で職場変更（転籍）を可能とする。一方、永住許可を得た外国人が故意に税や社会保険料を納付しない場合に永住者の在留資格を取り消せる規定があり、日本弁護士連合会が撤回を求める会長声明を出すなど懸念の声がある。

19日の記者会見は、法改正に反対する弁護士グループが主催した。指宿昭一弁護士は「急病や失職で税金を払えなくなったり、在留カードの携帯を忘れたりしただけで永住権を剝奪（はくだつ）される事態が起きてはならない」などと指摘し、「永住者を一生不安にし、安定を与えない法律だ」と批判した。制度改正を検討した有識者会議では議論されなかった規定が突如、浮上したとも述べた。

会見に出席した英会話学校講師で英国人のアダム・ブラウンさん（35）は、日本人の妻との間にいる11歳の息子から「パパ、送り返されちゃうの？」と聞かれ、「胸が苦しかった」と語る。「（外国人が）常に家族崩壊や強制送還におびえながら暮らす国を選ぶだろうか」と問いかけた。

To continue reading please check the Asahi Shimbun website.

Gaba Teachers Interviewed

by
Gaba is forcing teachers to register as “qualified invoice issuers” in order to shift a new tax burden onto those who provide Gaba’s main service.
Podcaster Ryan Michaels grills Tozen Gaba Workers Union leader Musashi Sakazaki and union rep Louis Carlet on the details.From the notes on the show:
Ryan welcomes a panel from Japan’s Tozen union to discuss working conditions at a prominent English school (eikaiwa) in Japan. A slew of bad policy decisions from Gaba Corporation including forcing instructors (treated as independent contractors by the corporation) into a qualified invoice system, has led to union action and recent strikes. Another new horrific policy announcement would see teachers fined per lesson if they become unable to teach, which could even result in a negative paycheck. In addition to demanding an end to the qualified invoice system requirements, Gaba Instructors, who have not received a raise since 2008, are fighting for a modest raise of 200 yen per lesson ($1.33 U.S. as of the currency exchange rate on 11/06/23). Ryan and the panel discuss the importance of unions, past victories Tozen has achieved for workers, and how Gaba instructors as well as counselors can join the union and strengthen bargaining power in the fight for fair working conditions. Tozen union panel guests include the Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Executive President Musashi Sakazaki, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union General Secretary Mitch Brown, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Member Paul Bowen, and Tozen Union Deputy Finance Officer and Organizer Louis Carlet.
Check it out here: 
https://reasonbound.libsyn.com/38-fighting-for-fairness-japans-tozen-union-vs-gaba-corporation

Los sindicatos de Apple crean una red de solidaridad mundial, de Maryland a Tokio pasando por Barcelona: qué demandan en España

by

La oleada de sindicalismo que atraviesa al sector tecnológico, especialmente en EEUU, ha copado titulares en los últimos meses. Las votaciones para formar sindicatos en almacenes de Amazon primero, y el mismo procedimiento en las tiendas de Apple después, ha llevado a diversos expertos a hablar de un fenómeno que ya cuenta con sus propios líderes.

La aparición de trabajadores organizados se da además en una encrucijada: el frágil escenario económico —que se está constatando en los resultados financieros de compañías como Google o Meta en este tercer trimestre— desatan el temor a oleadas de despidos, que algunos ya consideran inevitables.

Read more

Tozen Daigaku: How bosses screw with your work hours! 東ゼン大学：会社による労働時間制度変更時の注意点！

by

Attorney Kinoshita Tetsuro talks us through various changes to the work hour system.
木下徹郎弁護士によるに労働時間制度の様々な変更点について。

Overview of the working time system(日本語)
労働時間制度の概要

東ゼン大学 – 契約形態でやられちゃった。Tozen Daigaku – Work contracts, and how companies screw you.

by

Tozen’s Louis Carlet delves into different types of Labour contracts, and discusses their pros and cons.

講師: ルイス・カーレットとオレン・フランクハム
Presented by Louis Carlet and Orren Frankham

東ゼン大学 – 産休とマタハラ Tozen Daigaku: Maternity Leave and Harassment

by

弁護士加藤佳子東ゼン労組執行委員長奥貫妃文は産後産前休暇とマタハラパタハラを講義する。

Attorney Kato Keiko and Tozen President Hifumi Okunuki teach us about the law and legal cases around maternity leave, and maternity and paternity harassment.

東ゼン大学 – 有給休暇 Tozen Daigaku – Paid Leave

by

Tozen Organisers Louis Carlet and Orren Frankham discuss the paid leave system in Japanese workplaces.

東ゼン大学ー職場の組織化 – Tozen Daigaku – How to organise your workplace.

by

Louis Carlet, Tony Dolan, and Orren Frankham present a Tozen Daigaku on how to safely organise your coworkers, what to be careful of, how to build up a union, and their own experiences in building unions.

Japanese Labour Union Act
Japanese Labour Relations Adjustment Act
Japanese Labour Standards Act