General Union News (English)
Fukuoka General Union & Owls - 4 Apr 2010 - english - ALTs
Company ordered to drop illegal penaltiesAt the Fukuoka General Union (FGU), the company which seems to generate the most grievances is OWLS. They are a dispatch company that ha ...read more
Are you a victim of 'power harassment'? - 4 Apr 2010 - english - Others
Workplace bullying, or as it is commonly known in Japan, ‘power harassment’ (pawa-hara), is a theme that may come up in union consultations with members working in universities and schools in Japan.Aichi Labour Bureau: Tokai City breaks dispatch law - 4 Apr 2010 - english - ALTs
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have sent out a notification to all the local Boards of Education (BOEs) judging the c ...read moreDispatch Averted, Pay Cuts Stopped - 1 Apr 2010 - english - ALTs
With rumors of their direct hire positions going to dispatch, five ALTs from Kofu city in Yamanashi prefecture contacted the General Union.While the threat of dispatch was only a rumor ...read more
ALT Dispatch and Outsourcing – What do Japanese Teachers think? - 17 Mar 2010 - english - ALTs
Do Japanese teachers in public schools know what dispatch (haken) and subcontracting (gyoumuitaku) mean for foreign ALTs’working conditions? How do they think ALT dispatch and outsourcin ...read moreTokai Board of Education found guilty of illegal dispatch - 9 Mar 2010 - english - ALTs
After more than six months of union action, Tokai Board of Education has been found guilty of illegal dispatch by the Aichi Prefectural Labor Board. Watch this space - full story in the coming week.New Agreement Strengthens Union Members' Rights @ ECC - 10 Feb 2010 - english - ECC
One of the oldest General Union branches, ECC, has become the first union branch at a major eikaiwa chain to win a union dues check off agreement with their employer. Union members now have the option ...read moreTokai City ALTs - video update - 9 Feb 2010 - english - ALTs
Despite repeated requests for collective bargaining, Tokai City and Tokai City Board of Education repeatedly refuse to negotiate over the issue of the illegal dispatch of Assistant Language Teachers.< ...read more
GABA - Round 2 Begins - a video update - 4 Feb 2010 - english - Gaba
As reported earlier, the Osaka Labor Commission ruled that GABA teachers are employees under Trade Union law. This is a major victory but it does not mean working conditions will change immediately. L ...read more