[Tokyo, March 25, 2020] Yesterday, Tozen Union inked an agreement with NCC Foreign Language Institute, settling a four-year dispute.
The union and its NCC chapter sued the language school in March 2016, claiming union-busting, including cutting teachers’ classes and firing the president of NCC Union of Teachers and Staff (NUTS). Living up to its acronym, the union fought with insane commitment to the cause, with strikes, protests, and a long, grueling fight in the Tokyo Labor Commission.
Management submitted some 200 exhibits to the commission. The two sides logged 14.5 hours of sworn testimony on topics ranging from the school’s scheduling system to the case officer’s favorite baseball team (Chiba Lotte Marines).
NCC’s legal team prevailed for the most part, and the union won only one of 10 claims. But the school faced an imminent union appeal to the Central Labor Commission and two more years of Tozen’s blend of legal wrangling and street activism. With hours to spare before the appeal deadline, NCC agreed to a broad-ranging settlement.