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。
Japan Times Editors’ Open Letter
On Nov. 30, 2018, the Executive Editorial Committee at The Japan Times published an Editor’s Note announcing changes in the way the newspaper would describe both the so-called comfort women and wartime forced laborers recruited before and during World War II to work for Japanese companies.
Under the former style, the comfort women were described as “women who were forced to provide sex for Japanese troops before and during World War II.” Under the new style, they were to be referred to as “women who worked in wartime brothels, including those who did so against their will, to provide sex to Japanese soldiers.”
プレスリリース「小さな島国の大きな労働組合から、大きな島国の小さな労働組合への招待状」
プレスリリース
「小さな島国の大きな労働組合から、大きな島国の小さな労働組合への招待状」
島国労組連帯
① 全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン（略称：東ゼン労組）は、2010年4月25日に結成さ
れた、多国籍・多民族を最大の特色とする全国規模の合同労働組合(日本で初めて3役全員が外国籍の合同労働)です。「すべての国籍、すべての民族、すべての職業、すべての性別の人が加入できる労働組合」です。事務所は東京都新宿区にあります。2019年4月25日で結成9年目を迎えます。初代執行委員長はルイス・カーレット、2013年からは奥貫妃文が執行委員長を務めています。組合員は、現在242名。21の支部があります。現在約25の国籍の組合員がいますが、最も多いのはフィリピン国籍、次いでアメリカ、イギリス、と続きます。２０１７年１０月以来、連合東京に加盟しています。
② 英語を母語とする者もしくは英語を話せる者が多いため、組合の会議は基本英語で進行しています。しかし、現執行委員長含め、英語以外の母語の組合員も多数おり、多言語体制を整えるように努力しています。まだまだ不十分ですが、多国籍・多民族労組として、言語問題はきわめて重要な課題であり、日々改善を図っているところです。
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 supports Tokyo Roso
Tozen supports Tokyo Roso in demonstration.
Tozen supports Tokyo Roso…..
Details to follow.
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.
Labor Commission to Heart: Don’t demand union come to you!
Tokyo Labor Commission on Friday handed down a win to Tozen Union against Heart Corporation, ruling that the ALT dispatcher had refused collective bargaining in violation of Article 7.2 of Japan’s Trade Union Act.
The corporation has a notorious history of treating ALTs with utter contempt. Heart is “one of the worst in a terrible industry,” as described by Tozen organizer Louis Carlet.
The inaptly named corporation 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.
Heart may well appeal the ruling to the Central Labor Commission. Management might want to consider that carefully, however, since that commission is also located in Tokyo. Although Tozen here scored yet another victory, the dismissal has yet to be overturned.
Tozen Union Scores Paid Leave Win Over JCFL
Tozen Union members Todd, Tim, and Mark won a crucial court victory Friday over Japan College of Foreign Languages (Bunsai Gakuen). The school had denied paid leave to the teachers who work on zero-hour contracts, claiming that intervals between the one-semester contracts disrupt the continuity of their employment and therefore preclude any right to paid leave.
Tokyo District Court ruled that their employment is effectively continuous enough to claim the legal minimum allotment of paid holidays. The court ordered JCFL to pay for the paid leave already taken, plus interest, and to put up 1% of the plaintiffs’ legal costs.
Management has taken a hard line against Tozen Union and JCFL Workers’ Union in collective bargaining and is expected to appeal to Tokyo High Court. The union members lost a claim that the school’s refusal to give a copy of its work rules constituted power harassment.
東ゼン労組JCFL(日本外国語専門学校)支部組合員であるトッ
ド、ティム、マークは、学校法人文際学園 日本外国語専門学校（JCFL）を相手に、 自らの有給休暇の権利を求め、裁判の場で闘ってきましたが、20 18年11月2日、東京地方裁判所は、 原告勝訴の判決を下しました。なお、本件では、 組合員に対して就業規則の付与を拒絶し、 その場で書き写すことのみ許可するという対応がパワーハラスメン トであるという主張もしましたが、 こちらは認められませんでした。
学校法人文際学園は、講師の契約を1セメスター＝5か月と設定し
、契約と契約の間の期間を2か月空けることにより、 契約は継続性を持たず、したがって、 すべての講師には有給休暇の権利は一切発生しないという扱いをし てきました。16年勤続の組合員も、これまで有給は「ゼロ」 だったのです。本判決では、たとえ契約と契約との間に2か月のイ ンターバルがあったとしても、 契約の継続性は認められると判断したのであり、 大変重要な内容を含んでいます。 同じような働き方をしている人たちにも、 大きな影響を及ぼすものと思われます。
学園はこれまでと同様、控訴して徹底抗戦するでしょう。
私たちも、団結の力を緩めることなく、 これからも組合を挙げて闘い続けてまいります。
引き続き、みなさまの心強いご支援、ご指導を、
どうぞ宜しくお願い申し上げます。
Tozen Union wins another victory over JCFL
The Tokyo Labor Commission ruled Monday morning that Japan College of Foreign Languages (JCFL, a division of Bunsai Gakuen) illegally discriminated against a member of the JCFL local due to his union activity by reducing his work load. The commission held that in doing so JCFL management inflicted financial damages against him. The commission ordered that JCFL pay the member backpay for his unpaid wages.
Further, the commission ruled that JCFL has been bargaining in bad faith about student satisfaction score data that had influenced management’s decision to reduce the workload of a union member. Management was ordered to bargain in good faith.
The commission has ordered management to apologize for violating the constitutional rights of our members and to post a large sign apologizing to the union at the workplace for ten days.
The victory was thanks to the relentless struggle of the local.
The union had also filed several other claims with labor commission including interference with a leafleting and failure to bargain in good faith with the union by refusing to disclose the official work rules. While these claims were not upheld by labor commission the union is considering filing an appeal.
Tozen Union has grown to 235 members in 20 locals.