広がる国際連帯！〜小さな島国の大労組から大きな島国の小労組への招待状
アイスランドの労働組合「エフリング」から東ゼン労組が正式に招かれる
Read all about it!
Tozen Union is featured in labornetjp.org
広がる国際連帯！〜小さな島国の大労組から大きな島国の小労組への招待状
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Iceland Article in Rengo Tsushin
The recent Tozen trip to Iceland was recently featured in Rengo Tsushin.
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You can download the original PDF file below.
Hifumi Okunuki travels to Iceland to show solidarity.
Tozen President, Hifumi Okunuki and Chief Financial Officer, Louis Carlet travelled to Iceland in March to show solidarity with Efling trade union.
Interviewed by Iceland’s Channel 2 news, the article from Visir, the Icelandic newspaper says –
Hifumi Okunuki, president of the Japanese trade union, Tozen, traveled from Tokyo to show solidarity to those who are on strike in Iceland. She says 
immigrants in Japan are struggling with similar problems as in Iceland.
“There are an amazing and numerous number of strikes here in Iceland. We felt it was important to witness this, ”said Okunuki, whose words were interpreted from Japanese to English in an interview with Heim Pétursson.
Immigrants in Japan also face difficulties. They think the problems there are similar to those here.
“We flew nine thousand miles to show our strength of solidarity.”
Flugu níu þúsund kílómetra til að sýna Eflingu samstöðu
Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason skrifar 8. mars 2019 11:32
Hifumi Okunuki, forseti japanska verkalýðsfélagsins Tozen, ferðaðist frá Tókýó til að sýna þeim sem fara í verkfall á Íslandi samstöðu. Hún segir innflytjendur í Japan glíma við sambærileg vandamál og á Íslandi.
„Þetta er magnað og fjölmennt verkfall hér á Íslandi. Okkur fannst mikilvægt að verða vitni að þessu,“ sagði Okunuki en túlkur þýddi orð hennar jafnóðum úr japönsku yfir á ensku í viðtali við Heimi Má Pétursson.
Innflytjendur í Japan glími einnig við erfiðleika. Þau telja vandamálin þar svipuð þeim hérna.
„Við flugum níu þúsund kílómetra til að sýna Eflingu samstöðu.“
Tozen Chalks Op Another Win Against JCFL
Yet another win for Tozen, get ready for our next victory.
Tokyo District Court on Thursday ruled against JCFL (Bunsai Gakuen) and in favor of Tozen Union members teaching there. The verdict upheld earlier decisions saying the JCFL illegally obstructed union leafleting in front of the school.
The court dismissed the school’s claims that the action endangered the safety of students arriving at the gate. JCFL’s posting of staffers outside was a clear attempt to hurt the union’s image in the eyes of other workers/potential recruits, the ruling said.
JCFL has a fortnight to submit an appeal to Tokyo High Court.
Tozen talks to Noam Chomsky.
Full video of the Tozen/Chomsky summit in March, 2014.
英字新聞ジャパンタイムズ編集スタッフからの公開書簡
２０１８年１１月３０日、ジャパンタイムズ社取締役編集委員会は、第二次世界大戦時やそれ以前に日本企業で強制的に労働に従事させられた労働者やいわゆる「慰安婦」について、どのように表現するかを定めた「編集者の注釈」を発表しました。
従前の用語規定では、慰安婦について「第二次世界大戦時やそれ以前に日本軍に性行為を強制された女性」と表現していました。しかし、新たな規定においては、「意思に反した女性を含む、日本軍に性行為を提供するため戦時の売春宿で働いていた女性」と変更しました。
労働委員会は、ハート・コーポレーションに対して、団交の開催場所について命令を
東京都労働委員会は、２０１８年１１月５日に外国語指導助手（ALT）派遣会社のハート・コーポレーションに対して、団体交渉を開催するという命令を下した。同社は、２０１６年に、横浜の学校で働いている組合員を解雇した問題を議題とした団交の開催場所について、茨木県水戸市にすることを条件にした。ものの、都労委は、それが労働組合法第７条第２号に該当する不当労働行為に該当することを認定した。
同社は、過去数年において、ALTに対しての扱い方が非常に乱暴であることで、相次いで労働紛争が起きている。
「そもそも労働者を使い捨てしているALT業界の中でも、ハート社は最低の有数に入る」と、東ゼン労組の専従者が話す。
同社は、横浜の学校に勤務しているALTに対して、個人の問題を毎日一緒に働いている教員と相談したことを理由に、解雇した。その解雇理由に納得いかない同ALTは、労働組合に相談をして、加盟をした。東京都を本部事務所にする東ゼン労組は、団体交渉を申し入れたら、同社は、茨木県にある本社まで来なければ、団交に応じないと回答した。
東ゼン労組は、団交拒否として都労委に不当労働行為の救済を申し入れた。解雇問題は、２０１９年１月２０日現在はまだ係争中である。
Tozen Union Leaders Meet with Education Ministry over Simul’s Law Flouting
Tozen Union leaders and members met with officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on Nov. 26 to protest Simul International’s labor practices. The language school fired much of its long-serving staff just prior to them gaining the right to permanent employment after five years of service. The right is guaranteed under the amended Labor Contract Law.
Simul does frequent and lucrative business with MEXT, including interpreting for major international conferences. The union has already sued the company in the Tokyo Labor Commission for illegal refusal to negotiate in good faith.
President Hifumi Okunuki accompanied Field Director Gerome Rothman, members Ian Duncan, Chris Harrington, and Robert Carnochan to present a request to the ministry to investigate Simul’s evasion of the so-called five-year rule
Union officials gave an overview of the case, and members then explained how the sudden firing has disrupted long-term plans and family lives. They asked the ministry to encourage Simul to reinstate the fired members immediately. The ministry expressed concern but stopped short of promising results.
Finally, the union asked MEXT to arrange a formal meeting to discuss the matter further.
Tozen Union Marks a Whole ‘nother Victory Against Heart!
Just weeks after the Tokyo Labor Commission ruled against Heart Corporation and its insistence on holding collective bargaining only in Ibaraki Prefecture – hours from Tokyo, Tozen Union scored another win last week as the ALT dispatcher finally agreed to meet in Tokyo.
Now, Tozen will be fighting for Ravy’s reinstatement. Heart fired Union Member Ravy in 2016 for seeking assistance from coworkers during a painful personal crisis. Tozen Union demanded CB, but Heart President Tatsumi Wakabayashi insisted the venue be in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, where the company is headquartered, even though Ravy had worked in Yokohama and Tozen is headquartered in the capital.
After several attempts to work out the venue issue and repeated refusals by the company, Tozen last year sued at the Tokyo Labor Commission. Wakabayashi was reportedly outraged that the labor commission in Tokyo, not Ibaraki, would adjudicate, since it meant that he had to come to Tokyo several times any way.
The meirei verdict orders Heart to “engage in collective bargaining in good faith toward an agreement over the dismissal and unpaid wages without insisting on Mito as the venue.” It also suggests Tokyo as the venue for collective bargaining session number 1.
Heart perhaps didn’t feel like fighting an appeal, which also would be in Tokyo. Wakabayashi has finally resigned himself to the fact that he has to negotiate and not set all the rules unilaterally.