On the morning of Friday August 21^st a demonstration was held at Shane Corporation Kanda head office where most of management works. Thirty-three members of the Tozen Union gathered in front of the Shane building and protested Shane’s docking of wages and taking away holidays. 

During the government lockdown, Shane told employees to stay home and promised to pay 100% of their salary. Memos sent to staff contained lofty rhetoric, such as,  “Your integral importance in day to day operations at Shane cannot be overstated and we want to financially protect you during this very testing and challenging time.” 

Weeks after the company resumed operations new memos were sent stating that most holidays would be taken away, and employees would have to provide free labor, working 6 days a week to “make up” for the days “missed” during the lockdown. Neither staff nor the union was consulted. Staffers were also told that the already paid salary was now a surprise loan to be paid back should they choose not to provide free labor. 

Recently, Shane Workers Union membership tripled in size. Members include both foreign and Japanese staff. The company plans to dock instructor wages starting with the September paycheck. Salary deductions for Japanese staff have already begun. Twenty-nine teachers went on strike in solidarity. 

At the protest, Shane employees were joined by members of allied unions: Posse, General Support Union, and other Tozen Union local chapters such as  Oberlin Local, Begunto (Berlitz) and ALT local. Shane Corp. continues to refuse to hold in-person collective bargaining with the union. We hope to change this quickly and reach an agreement on union demands with Shane management. 

The members of Shane Workers Union and many of the staff employees never consented to giving up their holidays, providing free labor or taking out any loans. 
Orren Frankham, executive president of the Shane Workers Union, shouted through a megaphone at the protest: “You are taking our holidays; you are affecting the workers; you are making it harder for everybody! We call on you to negotiate with us! Negotiate with us! We have called on you multiple times for CB and you have ignored us!”   

By: Veronika Danovich (member of Tozen Union)

緊急事態宣言の期間中、休業手当を全額支払う会社は少なかった。
それにも関わらずシェーン英会話で知られるシェーンコーポレーション（以下、「シェーン英会話」）は、講師に対し休業中の２ヶ月間、賃金の全額を支払った。これは一見会社としては実に誇らしいことであり、労働者を尊重した会社に見えるだろう。

しかし現状は、従業員の同意なしに賃金から天引きをしたり、無給の残業をさせようとしたりと、悲惨な状況である。

東ゼン労組シェーン労働組合の組合員数は、６月２４日時点で２０名であったが、それから約１ヶ月間で７１名と、３倍以上にまで急増した。

そして今日、東ゼン労組シェーン支部の組合員４１名がストライキを決行した。
これはシェーン支部史上だけでなく、東ゼン労組の歴史の中でも最も大きなストライキといえる。

これまで組合側は、スクールカウンセラーたちの労働環境の問題を数多く耳にはしてきたが、なかなか組織化して闘おうと言い出すカウンセラーはおらず、ストに関してもとても消極的であった。そして今回初めてカウンセラーが組合に加盟し、ストに参加した。０から１を作り上げることは容易なことではなく、こうしたプレッシャーを乗り越えてストに参加したことは素晴らしい英断といえよう。

シェーン英会話は６月末、講師に対し２つの選択肢を提示した。

１つ目は、休業分に支払われた給料の約半分を今後の給料から天引きするが、緊急事態宣言発令前の従来の勤務日を保持し、休業中に行われなかったレッスンの補講の義務を負わないというもの。

２つ目は、休業分に支払われた給料の全額を保持する代わりに、休業中に行われなかった分のレッスンを補講することによって、相殺するというもの。つまりは賃金の前払いである。

しかし、選択肢１は労働基準法第２４条にある通り、全額払いが原則のため、合意無しに給料から控除することはできない。選択肢２においては、労働基準法の第１７条「使用者は、前借金その他労働することを条件とする前貸の債権と賃金を相殺してはならない。」に反するものである。

そして信じがたいことに、１も２も選択しなかった従業員に関しては、自動的に選択肢１を適用するとシェーン英会話は講師たちへ伝えた。これでは従業員たちは、２つのうちのどちらかの選択肢を強要されていることになりかねない。

東ゼン労組シェーン支部の組合員たちは、この選択肢をどちらも拒否すると回答し、組合員の多くが各スクールで従業員代表選挙をし直し、給料の天引きを拒否する意をシェーン英会話に対して表明した。

それでもなお、シェーン英会話の経営側は、このコロナの休業の賃金や勤務日に関する労働協約の締結を拒み続けている。

そしてついに、スクールカウンセラーと講師陣、シェーン英会話で働く労働者たちは立ち上がり、大規模ストライキを決行した。

先日、Yahooニュースにも、今野晴貴氏によるシェーン英会話大規模ストが記事に取り上げられ、Twitterでは７００件以上もリツイートされている。中にはシェーン英会話に通う生徒からも、講師たちの現状を変える行動を起こしたいといったような声も上がっている。

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/konnoharuki/20200707-00187003/
休業手当は「借金」だった？　シェーン英会話講師が怒りのストライキ

コロナの問題以外にも、シェーン英会話と組合の間にはまだまだ数え切れないほどの問題があるが、８月１５日が次回の給料支払日ということもあり、これは一刻を争う問題である。

全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン（略称、「東ゼン労組」）の支部である、ジャパンタイムズ一般労働組合（JTGWU）が、全従業員の３分の１にあたる、３９名もの従業員を解雇するという通告を受け、今週水曜日にスト権を行使した。

経営側は、今回の整理解雇における必要性に正当な根拠を示すことができず、交渉は決裂した。

JTGWUは、この解雇により、ジャパンタイムズが報道機関として機能できなくなるのではと危惧した。こうした123年に及ぶ機関に対する修復不能な損害は、現在でも進行している新型コロナウイルス感染症の流行を含めた、報道がこれまで以上に重要視されている時期に来ようとしている。

これらの解雇は、２０２０年春、同新聞社の人員を著しく減少させた自主退職プログラムに続くものである。

現在JTGWUには１６名の組合員が加盟しており、ジャパンタイムズの従業員たちの声を代表している。組合側は、ジャパンタイムズの経営側に対して解雇を１ヶ月延期した７月１７日を締切とし、労使共に交渉するための十分な時間を求めた。しかし経営側はこれを拒否し、大規模解雇へと急いだ。

東ゼン労組の専従オルグであり、同支部の担当でもあるジェローム・ロスマンは、「私達は衝撃を受けています。ジャパンタイムズと東ゼン労組の間では、素晴らしい労使関係を築いていました。日本では、経営者はたった１人の解雇であっても、解雇を避けるための手段のすべてを尽くす責任があります。しかしジャパンタイムズは、こうした社会通念を逸脱し、パンデミックの真っ只中、一方的に従業員の３分の１を放り出すような決断をしたのです。」と語る。

JTGWUのクリス・ラッセル執行委員長は、「支部の組合員たちは皆、ジャパンタイムズの長期的な成功のために尽くしてきました。この成功は、会社の優れた従業員たちによって築き上げたられたものであり、これからも継続していくことを信じています。特に、私達が過去半年作成してきたCOVID-19に関する素晴らしい取材をとっても、会社は従業員に対して同じような気持ちを持っていないということには、大きな失望を感じています。」と述べた。

編集者兼記者を務めるジェイン・北川組合員は、「組合員たちは、このような立場を強いられ、憤りを感じています。彼らは、解雇を実施するという、会社、読者、また従業員にとっても最善策とは言い難い、酷い決断を会社は下したと考えています。」と述べた。

連絡先：
東ゼン労組
ジャパンタイムズ一般労働組合担当
ジェローム・ロスマン
tozen.rothman@gmail.com

Tozen Union and its Japan Times General Workers Union (JTGWU) chapter took strike action Wednesday as the paper threatened to lay off 39 staff, one third of the company’s workforce.

Negotiations had broken down after management failed to justify the necessity of the layoffs.

JTGWU fears the cuts will make The Japan Times unable to function as a news organization. Such irreparable damage to the 123-year-old institution would come at a time when its coverage, including that of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, is more important than ever. 

These cuts follow a voluntary redundancy program in spring 2020 that significantly reduced the newspaper’s workforce. JTGWU has 16 members, representing staff from across The Japan Times. The union set a July 17 deadline and implored The Japan Times’ management to postpone the layoffs for a month to give both parties enough time to negotiate. Management refused, preferring instead to rush through the mass layoff.

Gerome Rothman, Tozen organizer and the local’s case officer, said, “We’re shocked. The Japan Times and Tozen Union have a history of excellent labor relations.

“In Japan, an employer has the responsibility to do everything in its power to avoid even one layoff. Instead, The Japan Times has chosen to violate social norms, unilaterally deciding to turn a third of the company out into the street in the middle of a pandemic.”

Chris Russell, president of JTGWU, said, “Every member of the local is dedicated to the long-term success of The Japan Times. We believe that this success is, and will continue to be, driven by the company’s talented staff. It’s a major disappointment that the company doesn’t feel the same basic commitment to its employees, particularly given the excellent COVID-19 coverage everyone has produced in the past half year.”

Jane Kitagawa, an editor and writer, said, “Union members are upset that they have been forced into this position. They think the company has made a terrible decision to implement layoffs that are not in the best interests of the company, its readership or its staff.”

Media Contact:
Gerome Rothman
Tozen Union
Japan Times General Workers Union case officer
tozen.rothman@gmail.com

Last week Konno Haruki sat down with members of Tozen Union and the Shane Workers Union local to discuss the recent goings on at the company.

The original article is here

Here is an English translation of the article provided by Louis Carlet:

Outraged teachers strike after Shane says corona furlough pay was a ‘loan’
by Haruki Konno, labor policy academic and leader of NPO Posse 12:01pm, Tuesday, 7 July 2020.

Countless workers struggle to make ends meet as coronavirus leads to non-renewals, dispatch agency firings, and even non-payment of the kyugyo te-ate furlough allowance. This includes eikaiwa English conversation schools, whose foreign instructors face economic hardship after losing their jobs.

Shane Corporation runs eikaiwa classrooms around the country. Some of its foreign language teachers belong to Tokyo General Union (Tozen Union). They went on strike last month.
Why did they strike? The roots of the dispute can be found in the spread of appalling work conditions stretching back to pre-covid times; to financial hardship due to a cash advance system instituted by Shane management; and to the anger felt by employees toward a company that has ignored their voices for too long. Let’s look at the details.

Setting work hours at 29.5 hours/week to skirt health insurance enrollment
You may have heard little about labor issues language teachers face. You may think they enjoy high hourly wages with proper benefits and protections. The truth is a very different story.
Tozen Union estimates that Shane employs about 800 full-time teachers. They are hired on one-year fixed-term contracts with contract non-renewal hanging permanently over their heads.
Shane sets their weekly work hours at 29.5 hours, likely a device to evade the legal obligation to enroll employees working 30 or more in the public health insurance system called Kenko Hoken.
Thus, Shane instructors must enroll on their own in the national health insurance system – Kokumin Kenko Hoken. Instructor contracts guarantee about 250,000 yen a month gross, but their take-home pay is much less, particularly if you factor in the national health insurance premium they must cough up without help from their employer.
Shane claims the interval between classes is unpaid break time, but this is a break in name only. Teachers cannot leave the school and must wait on standby in case a potential student drops in for a taiken demo lesson.
Tozen Union began to address these issues in 2012, with the formation of its Shane local chapter. The three founding members demanded an end to fixed-term employment as well as enrollment in the public Shakai Hoken health and pension insurance scheme (which includes Kenko Hoken). The union has maintained these demands to this day.
During the intervening years, there have arisen many problems with Shane’s treatment of teachers. Tozen Union says it has fought against unfair dismissals and other issues with three unfair labor practice cases in the labor commission and four court battles.
A Tozen Union member sued Shane over a non-renewal. The company had refused his application for paid leave in order to prepare for childcare leave, deeming the period absence without leave. In an upset victory for the union, Tokyo High Court overturned a lower court’s ruling as well as Shane’s dismissal of the union member.
Eikaiwa School Instructor Wins Upset Victory as Court Rejects Paid Leave Fixing, Non-Renewal

Corona Aggravates Dispute: It’s a loan, not kyugyo te-ate furlough pay
Tozen Union says Shane closed its schools between April 8 when the state of emergency was declared and May 31. This ended up escalating the labor dispute that had built up over many years.
Shane paid the monthly quarter million yen as normal for the period it had ordered workers to stay home. From the employees’ perspective, management had paid the guaranteed 100% of their wages, just like a ‘decent company.’ Shane, however, had other ideas.
Later they discovered that the 250,000 yen was not kyugyo te-ate furlough pay at all. It was an advance on future salaries for extra work to be done after the June reopening. Shane said workers would have to work to pay back the quarter million yen they had received for April. They obtained no agreement from the employees for such an advance. In effect, workers would receive not a single yen of furlough allowance.
Several times during collective bargaining, Tozen Union asked the company to explain what the April and May payments represented, but management offered no acceptable explanation. On June 29, the company presented two options in a letter to employees.
The first option addressed what was paid for April and May by stipulating that employees would pay back all that had already been paid in excess of the legal minimum kyugyo te-ate furlough allowance. (The Labor Standards Act sets that at 60% of average daily pay, but it often amounts to about 40% of ‘real’ pay.) The second option was to keep the full 100% of what had been paid but provide free make-up lessons to students in order to repay their debts. Barring such future overtime hours, their future pay might even be docked.
Possible Labor Standard Act Violations

Twenty-Three-Member Simultaneous Strike Wins Concession!
In the end, Shane provided Tozen Union no satisfactory explanation and instead unilaterally tried to force each teacher to choose from two options by July 13. Tozen Union determined that collective bargaining was going nowhere and decided to exercise their right to collective action by going on strike.
On June 27, 23 foreign instructors in Tozen Union struck. This was the largest strike by Shane instructors ever in Japan.
Tozen Union demands 100% payment of the furlough allowance; an extra fortnight of paid leave granted to instructors infected with coronavirus; and a management-union committee to discuss workplace safety during the pandemic. These come in addition to the longstanding demands to change the contract period and enroll members in Shakai Hoken.
In the past, the company managed to arrange a replacement teacher to cover for striking teachers, minimizing any potential adverse impact on classes. Some schools had to cancel lessons, however, when the 23 teachers struck. Then, 19 teachers struck on June 30, and 22 again on July 1.

Company operations have begun to see an impact.
Some previously ununionized instructors came to mistrust the company, saw the strikes, and began themselves to get involved in the union. Shane told employees to “repay the full amount if you resign before paying it all back.” (!) One worker confided to the union that, “With the way they treat me, I want to quit. But I have no money, so I can’t quit until I pay it all back. It’s like being held captive.” Dissatisfied and anxious workers flood into the union, Tozen reports.
In face of the strikes, the company has been forced to give ground. Initially, Shane asked employees to pay back the full amount. This meant they had no intention to pay even 1 yen of the kyugyo te-ate furlough allowance. But after 23 teachers struck on June 27, management softened and said workers could keep the 60% as a furlough allowance and only need repay the other 40%(as I explain above). This is clearly insufficient wage coverage, and Tozen Union is fighting for the full 100%.

Problems rack up in the eikaiwa English conversation industry
These problems are not unique to Shane in the language industry.
Tozen Union has a local chapter at Berlitz Japan (in Benesse group). In response to the government’s request to suspend operations, this language giant switched to online lessons. But student numbers fell, nonetheless, and management used this to pay the reduced 60% furlough allowance for time when no online lessons took place.
But the reason is the reduction in students, and the company should be able to find teachers other work to do. Tozen Union therefore insists Berlitz must pay 100%.
Instructors are also getting only 60% kyugyo te-ate furlough allowance at English conversation school Nova. Many teachers are treated not even as employees but rather as individual proprietors (in name only). So, this category of Nova teachers received no furlough allowance at all, putting enormous pressure on their household finances. Nova teachers are ordinarily paid 1,350 yen per 44-minute lesson. The 60% works out to just 810 yen. Barely able to make Tokyo’s minimum wage, even these employee teachers are finding it tough to get by. The General Support Union recruits Nova employees and has been striking since June for 100% payment and measures to avoid the san-mitsu three crowding conditions.

As globalization proceeds, more and more people attend language schools. You may think that foreign workers’ conditions in the language industry are better than other industries. You would be mistaken, as I explained in this piece.

We consumers must stop ignoring workers who are striking and raising their voices in order to make things better.