Tozen Daigakus are back with our first video by Gerome Rothman.
In this short Tozen Daigaku Gerome discusses the use of AI when it comes to consultations.
labor
Tozen reaches deal with Shane over union-busting wages
TOKYO – The Tozen Union has successfully reached a settlement with Shane Corporation at the Central Labor Commission, resolving a long-standing dispute regarding wage discrimination against union members who participated in industrial action.
The Core Dispute
The conflict originated when three union members were awarded significantly smaller pay raises than their colleagues. The Tozen Union filed a complaint with the Tokyo Labor Commission, alleging that management had unfairly targeted these individuals for their participation in strikes.
The investigation revealed that Shane Corporation had categorized strike days as “absences,” a metric that heavily influenced the calculation of annual wage increases.
Commission Rulings and Appeals
In its initial ruling, the Tokyo Labor Commission found in favor of the union, determining that penalizing employees for engaging in protected labor activities was unlawful. The company was ordered to:
- Reimburse the members for lost wages.
- Adjust their current salary levels to reflect what they would have earned without the penalty.
Shane Corporation initially appealed this decision to the Central Labor Commission, the higher appellate body for labor disputes in Japan.
The Final Settlement
During the appellate proceedings, the Central Labor Commission mediated a deal between the two parties. To avoid a formal verdict from the higher commission, Shane Corporation agreed to a settlement that satisfies the union’s primary demands.
Settlement Terms:
- Full Back Pay: Management has completed the reimbursement of lost wages to all three affected members.
- Wage Normalization: The company will permanently adjust the members’ wages moving forward to ensure parity with their peers.
- No Final Verdict: By accepting the settlement, management avoids a formal legal precedent being set by the Central Labor Commission, while still fulfilling the corrective actions.
The Tozen Union has signaled this as a victory for the right to strike, reinforcing the principle that legitimate labor actions cannot be used as a basis for financial retaliation.
Tozen fights back against Gaba’s vicious penalties
On Monday 4th December 2023, members of Tozen’s Gaba local took to the streets to protest and fight for their wellbeing.
The video below includes speeches from organiser Louis Carlet, Gaba local President Musashi Sakazaki, and Gaba local General Secretary Mitch Brown.
Gaba to fine teachers when ill
As seen on Reddit:
Gaba recently announced new penalties on teachers who cancel lessons (tell Gaba they cannot work), even if the teacher is seriously ill or injured.
Fines increase with shorter notice and can be up to 6,500 yen PER LESSON, on top of not gettting paid for the work.For inquiries please contact Tozen Union representative Louis Carlet at tozen.carlet@gmail.com
Fines increase with shorter notice and can be up to 6,500 yen PER LESSON, on top of not gettting paid for the work.For inquiries please contact Tozen Union representative Louis Carlet at tozen.carlet@gmail.com
Tozen Gaba Workers Union steps up dispute for higher wages, against forced registration
Tozen Union and its local Gaba Workers Union protested today (Tuesday, July 18, 2023) in front of language school Gaba’s Fujisawa Learning Studio.
A dozen teachers braved searing heat on the streets of Fujisawa, demanding a 200/yen per lesson raise and that Gaba stop pushing instructors to register as an “invoice-issuing business.” The language school does this to shift a new tax burden onto its low-paid teachers who would have to pay consumption tax they are currently exempt from paying. The company threatens lower pay and even firing to those instructors who fail to comply.
The company already treats instructors as private businesses on gyomu itaku contracts in order to avoid all obligations under labor law. The company claims to outsourceg its main business – teaching English. It’s not clear then what Gaba does as its business.
Gaba instructors have not had a raise since 2008, and and need one now more than ever due to recent inflation.
For more info on how to support us, contact union rep Louis Carlet at tozen.carlet@gmail.com.
Tozen organiser interviewed by scientific journal, Nature
In the article ‘I feel disposable’: Thousands of scientists’ jobs at risk in Japan, about universities terminating workers on fixed-term contracts, Tozen organiser Louis Carlet was interviewed and gave an explanation on how universities have responded to the 5/10-year rule.
Read the full article here
Bread & Roses: Do sex workers really have a choice?
On March 30, 2022, NHK Web News ran a story on how women driven to financial hardship due to the corona pandemic are increasingly turning to sex work. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220330/k10013558231000.html)
The report notes that sex workers’ “growing presence in busy urban neighborhoods has spurred police to take enforcement action but also to assign case officers to provide support and to accompany the arrested women to life consultant centers run by local governments.” The cops have begun to provide support for the women’s futures from a social welfare perspective, rather than just cracking down.
東ゼン一日行動ビデオ Tozen All Day Protest Videos
東ゼン一日行動(上)
神田にあるシェーン英会話本社前で抗議行動を始めした。
The first part of Tozen’s All Day Protest.
Starting with the Shane Worker’s Union protesting at Shane English School Head Office in Kanda, Tokyo.
東ゼン一日行動(中)
神田にある神田外語大学院前で抗議行動を始めした。
The second part of Tozen’s All Day Protest.
Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) Union protesting at Kanda University of International Studies in Kanda, Tokyo.
東ゼン一日行動(下)
銀座にあるインタラック本社前で抗議行動を始めした。
The third part of Tozen’s All Day Protest,
Interac Union protesting at Interac HQ in Ginza
東ゼン大学ー職場の組織化 – Tozen Daigaku – How to organise your workplace.
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