Kobe Shoin Women's University Sued at Osaka Labour Commission
Uncooperative & Uncompromising; Kobe Shoin wins trip to Osaka
In the middle of a pandemic and state of emergency, Kobe Shoin Women's University did what no other university, board of education, or private company have done, they refused to hold negotiations online. Not only did we ask for collective bargaining in the middle of a pandemic, the demands themselves were over keeping union members online after the state of emergency ended on 11 May.
Their answer, “Sure we'll meet you. Come to our university in Hyogo Prefecture after 19:00 and we'll be happy to chat."
Labor Update Bulletin #112 (05/2021)
This bulletin contains information on law changes, government discussions, court decisions, and other labor issues in Japan.
We hope that some of this information will also be of interest to activists, supporters of the General Union, and those who want to know more about labor issues in general in Japan.
Hands Off! Don't touch our Koma!
Union launches campaign for NO REDUCTION in 2022 koma!
Every year since 2011, about this time of year the union begins thinking about our members' koma in the next year and how to prevent them from being reduced.
This is because we decided that the best way to prevent cuts in koma is not to wait till they are lost, but to act first. We do this by surveying members to check which university they want to declare their union membership to as part of our union demands for NO REDUCTION in their next year's koma. Most universities have reacted very well to this by not cutting union members’ koma.
For example, in the 2020 academic year...
Demands sent to: 37 universities covering 125 member jobs
No koma cuts: 34 universities covering 118 member jobs
Koma cut: 3 universities covering 6 member jobs
Part-Time At A Doshisha University? Your Time Might Be Limited...
The union has made some progress in negotiations with Doshisha University and Doshisha Women's College, mainly in clearing up a previously unanswered mystery: how long can a part-timer work at Doshisha?
And the answer is...
It depends on when you were hired.
Doshisha has finally clarified that those hired from 1 April 2016 are limited to nine renewals, and those hired before have no limitation on their renewals.
In collective bargaining, Doshisha maintained that all teachers had a nine-renewal limit. We finally now have a clear answer to the question.
But why a nine-renewal limit?
It sounds strange to us, and we know it sounds strange to Doshisha part-timers who were hired in 2016.
Osaka Prefecture Calls On Universities To Halt Face-To-Face Classes
At a press conference on 13th of April, amid a rapid growth of COVID-19 infections in the Osaka area, prefectural governor Yoshimura announced new measures to fight the pandemic.
These included a request for schools to stop club activities and for universities to suspend face to face classes and move to online classes.
Whilst for now this is only in the Osaka, area it marks a major break from the policy of the Education Ministry which had been pushing universities to teach at least 70% of classes online - with even teachers with pre-existing conditions (making them more vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus) being pressured into teaching face-to-face.
The reversal was based on the failure of the existing policies of early closing of drinking/dining establishments to halt the spread. The rapid spread of the virus threatens to collapse the local health care system with over 92% of beds now full.
Union Pushes Back As Kindai University's Policy Of "Business As Usual" Puts Members At Risk
In February, the General Union Kindai Branch held collective bargaining session with Kindai University, during which we demanded that teachers be given the option of teaching online if they had medical conditions that put them at increased risk of contracting COVID and/or becoming severely ill.
At the time, Kindai told us that they were still uncertain of their policies for the upcoming semester, and we were alarmed by the suggestion that a medical certificate would not be sufficient and that an interview with one of their administrative staff would be required.
Then began what seemed to be a never ending effort to delay and stonewall the talks and their policy decisions in an attempt (we believe) to discourage teachers from applying for exemptions at all - and to prevent a rush of applications that they feared may eventuate if word got out that some teachers had been granted exemptions several weeks before the semester commenced.
GU Launches Gender Parity Committee to Welcome International Women's Day
According to data gathered from General Union members who filled out the gender section of the application form when they first joined, 22.5% of our members are women.
We know that women are also subject to unfair labor practices (poor working conditions, unfair layoff practices, sexism, and harassment, to name a few) just as much as men are - and sometimes even more.
So why aren't more women joining unions?
The GU knows what it's talking about when it comes to unlimited term contracts at universities
The union has been involved at numerous workplaces dealing with universities' refusal to grant unlimited term contracts after 5 years as per the changes to the Labour Contract Law (see here for more information on this law)
Many universities are holding out by using an exception granted to the universities which lets them wait till after the tenth year to grant an unlimited term contract. But this exception ISN'T in all cases and ISN'T for all instructors teaching in a university. Famously, even Tokyo University did a U-turn on this when challenged by it's union.
Basically, the instructor must be hired under any of the three categories outlined in the "Act on Term of Office of University Teachers" (often referred to as NINKI-TSUKI or NINKI-HO) or an of the three categories in the "Act on Revitalisation of Science and Technology/Inovation Creation", and told very clearly upon hiring, in writing, which category they fall into.
Most of the universities that we deal with have usually not done this at all, or have simply written the name of the act (or other such language) in the contract.
Income Support and the Pandemic
Many workers in Japan are suffering economically from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. There is some relief.
1. Kyugyo Teate: salary benefits that your employer must pay if there is no work for you and you are sent home.
2. Employment Adjustment Subsidy: paid to employers to cover KYUGYO TEATE payments to employees.
3. Sustainment Benefit for Freelancers: if you are a non-employee (like many members at GABA and NOVA), you can apply to receive up to one million yen in benefits.
4. Special Cash Payment: 100,000 yen subsidy available to all who were registered residents of Japan as of 27 April 2020.
Please see an explanation of the four systems at this link.
Statement of the General Union on the COVID-19 Pandemic
The General Union has received many consultation requests in regard to this pandemic.
While we are happy to report that most employers are behaving responsibly, a minority of language schools are laying off part time workers and refusing to pay the cancellation allowance of at least 60% of average wages.
Basically, they are off-loading their financial woes on those least able to afford it.
This increase in consultations has meant that we are not as quick in responding to emails and telephone calls and we ask for everyone's patience.
In a crisis situation like this, the work we do in the community as a whole is important and while member concerns are always a priority, we are sure that union members all support the vital work we are doing in the language industry, in both the for profit and schools sectors.
How To (Legally) Engage In Additional Work In Japan (FAQ)
If you live and work in Japan, you might find that your salary isn't always enough to make ends meet. Sure, you might be keeping the lights on every month, but perhaps there isn't much left over to save for a rainy day.
In these situations, a second (or third) job might seem to be the ideal solution: you have time; you need money; why not get do more work?
How do you engage in additional employment without running into trouble with the immigration office or your main place of work (and affecting your renewal chances)?
Overtime Q&A
When it comes to Japanese labor law, figuring out how much extra overtime money you're entitled to (as well as the laws that govern such things) can be a very confusing process rife with conflicting information and complicated legalese.
Luckily, the General Union is here to help you make sense of things with this handy Q&A!
Everything You Wanted To Know About Not Paying Pension
As three wise monkeys once said: "See no pension, speak no pension, pay no pension".
The topic of pension (and pension contributions) is one that tends to attract strong opinions - much to the dismay of people who would rather not think about it at all.
However, like it or not, the pension system is here to stay - so here's everything you ever wanted to know about not paying (kokumin!) pension
Labor Contract Law Amendment (Unlimited Term Contracts) Q&A
Over the past five years, in preparation for the Labour Contract Revision Law (aka "The Five Year Rule) taking fully effect on April 1st, 2018, the General Union has conducted research via direct meetings with the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labour (MHWL), prefectural labour bureaus, meetings with lawyers, and various negotiations with employers in regards to their plans for this law.
Back in November of 2017, we also decided to take questions from members of the public (via Facebook and e-mail) and are now presenting those questions to you with our answers in hope that this will answer many of your questions about this law and how it could affect you.
Maternity Leave And Child-Raising Leave In Japan
When planning for the future, finances are always high on the list of priorities, and planning for a family is no different.
Japan has some great government programs for parenting leave., and these programs are paid for by the government - not the employer.
However, because the employer has a vital role to play (and because the system can be a little tricky to navigate!), the union is here with some helpful pointers.
