Tozen Union wins victory over JCFL

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The Tokyo Labor Commission ruled Monday morning that Japan College of Foreign Languages (JCFL, a division of Bunsai Gakuen) had illegally interfered with Tozen Union’s leafleting actions in front of the school.     Tozen Union and its JCFL Local claimed that management sent employees out to block the union from passing out leaflets and made the union look bad.

The commission ruled in favor of the union, ordering management to cease all such interference 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.

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2 mil. employees not ‘nenkin’ enrolled

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9:25 pm, January 14, 2016
Jiji Press

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will launch a probe to identify companies neglecting their obligation to have employees join the appropriate public pension scheme, officials have said.

A ministry survey has found that an estimated 2 million people have not joined the “kosei nenkin” scheme for corporate employees even though they are legally required to do so. These people stay in the “kokumin nenkin” program for other people, including the self-employed, instead.

In Japan, incorporated businesses and sole proprietors who employ five or more people are obliged to have their workers join the corporate pension program.

Under the kosei nenkin scheme, employers cover half of the employees’ pension premiums. The workers participating in the program will be entitled to extra benefits that add to the basic pension provided under the kokumin nenkin program.

Original Article

Graduates needn’t be hostages to advance contracts

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The seniors I teach at Sagami Women’s University have already handed in their final dissertations and now await graduation in March. You can feel that a heavy burden has been lifted from their shoulders: “My friends and I are going to Fiji for our graduation trip”; “I’ve already reserved the traditional gown I’m going to wear to the graduation ceremony.”

In April they will go out into the world as shakaijin, or full-fledged adult members of society. As I’ve mentioned before, graduation and finding employment are seen as a single event in Japan. Students at university weigh up their strengths and interests, research the industry they aspire to join, perhaps do an internship, and then apply and interview for jobs. This whole process is called shūkatsu.
If an employer says they want you to start next April, then that is effectively an official promise of employment, or naitei. In a previous column, I explained that the employer is, in a sense, legally bound by the naitei, but today I would like to discuss the obligations of the prospective employee.
All of my current students have already received their naitei from assumed future employers. Many companies insist that students affix their personal seal to a written pledge to work for them.

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残業ヤダ！って言ったらクビ？！

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昔から今に至るまで、テレビドラマにはいろいろな「お決まりのシーン」がある。たとえば、朝、慌てて家を飛び出すヒロイン、通りすがりの男性に思いっきりぶつかり「あ、ごめんなさい～」と顔を赤らめながら立ち去ったときに、うっかりアクセサリーを落としてしまう。そして数日後、たまたま入ったカフェ。向かい側に座っているのは・・・あ、あのときの・・・そして、ロマンスが始まる、というパターン。(注：ここで落とすのはアクセサリーに限らず、財布や定期券などもポピュラー)

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Japan’s culture and courts need to get with the program on overtime

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TV series have for decades now overused a broad range of formulaic plot devices. Let me give you an example:
The heroine scrambles to get out of the house in the morning on her way to work. She runs down the street only to collide with a man walking the other way. Blushing, she showers him with apologies and in all the kerfuffle, a piece of jewelry slips off to the ground unnoticed. Days later she runs into him (figuratively this time) in a chic cafe, and romance brews. For variety, replace jewelry with wallet, train pass or other item; stir and bake.

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For Japan’s English teachers, rays of hope amid the race to the bottom

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The major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain “harmony.” Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing: Rather than competing for talent, they have followed one another’s lead, driving down salaries to hamper career development, limit job mobility and keep foreign teachers firmly in their place.

We’ve all heard the tale of the scorpion and the frog. In a rising flood, the scorpion asks the frog for a piggy-back ride across the river. The frog refuses, complaining that the scorpion will sting it to death midway. The scorpion assures the frog it would do no such thing because they would both drown. The frog accepts the logic, lets the scorpion on its back and begins to swim.

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Lessons in Japan’s labor laws from striking NPB baseball stars and English teachers

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Eleven years ago, baseball players walked off the field in protest for the first time in the seven-decade professional history of the game in Japan.

Owners wanted to consolidate two of the dozen pro teams, without offering a replacement. Players opposed the merger and were outraged that they had been kept out of the decision-making process. Atsuya Furuta of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows led collective bargaining on behalf of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association union. Talks broke down and players struck six scheduled games over two days.

Players reached out to their fans with signing and photo events. Most fans sided with the striking players, but a vocal minority accused them of selfishness and having insulted their fans.

It always strikes me as odd how striking workers — rather than stubborn bosses — are often the ones accused of greed. The players did not take the decision to strike lightly; they had agonized over the decision and certainly were not taking their fans for granted. They made impassioned appeals to the fans that a strike was the only way they could save the wonderful spirit of the game.

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改めて考える・・・「労働者にとってのストライキ」〜ストライキにどこか「罪悪感」を感じているすべての人へ〜

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今から11年前、日本のプロ野球は、日本プロ野球球団設立以来初めてのストライキを行った。当時最大規模の「球界再編」が行われようとしていたが、その決定のプロセスのなかに「選手」は入っていなかった。自分たちのことなのに、なぜ自分たちが外されているのか…？　我慢ができなかった選手たちは、当時の選手会会長である古田敦也（ふるた　あつや）氏を中心に、何回も団体交渉を重ねたものの、交渉は決裂。そしてついに、開催予定だった６つの試合でストライキが決行された。

ストライキは２日に及んだが、この間、選手たちは自主練習をしたり、ファンとのふれあいのイベント（サイン会や写真撮影会）を開催したりしていた。彼らのストライキに対しては、ほとんどのファンがストライキを支持し応援していたものの、なかには「ファンをないがしろにしている」、「自分たちだけよければいいのか」といった非難もあった。選手たちはおそらくこうした声を重く受け止めていたのだろう。彼らは、ストライキが苦渋の果ての決断であったということ、そして、決してファンを軽視するものではなく、むしろファンにとってより楽しいプロ野球にするためにも、ストライキが不可避であるといったことを、一生懸命にアピールしていた。

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Tozen Union Blast Past 200 Members with 20 Local Chapters

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Saturday afternoon Tozen Union drove through an important milestone, 200 members with the approval of seven new members. This is about twice the number of members at the time of founding on April 25, 2010.  The Tozen executive also authorized the formation of two new local unions, bringing the number of local chapters to a nice round 20.

Tozen are pushing forward on several fronts, with major disputes at Gaba, Shane and JCFL. The labour union currently have five cases in the dock at Tokyo Labor Commission, including two against JCFL and one against Shibaura Institute of Technology, which may be settled soon.  

Other fights are brewing. 

電話による労働の無料法律相

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外国人のための

２０１５年５月１７日（日）電話による労働の無料法律相談
●弁護士(attorneys律師advogados)による電話相談　相談料・通訳料は無料

●仕事中のけが、仕事場への行き・帰り道でのけが、お給料をはらってもらえない、残業代をはらってもらえない、理由もないのに仕事をやめさせられた、いじめ、セクハラなどの仕事に関する問題について

●外国人、外国人を支援している人なら全国どこからでもお電話をいただけます。

●中国語、ポルトガル語、スペイン語の通訳人がいます。

★相談内容は秘密にします★

そうだん方法

①まずは、上の電話番号にお電話ください。

②日本語を話せる方はそのままお話しください。中国語、ポルトガル語、スペイン語での相談を希望される方は、教えてください。電話に通訳人がでたら、お話しください。

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主催者（相談を担当する弁護士）

外国人労働者弁護団　　　　　　　　https://grb2012.wordpress.com/
外国人技能実習生問題弁護士連絡会　http://kenbenren.www.k-chuolaw.com/

マイグラント研究会　　　　　　　　http://migrant-worker.org/