2010 03 (winter)

Inside the “Voice”  Koma cancellation  Preconsultation agreements  Why did you join the union?  Making a better ECC W i n t e r News

from

the

General

Union

(Kansai

&

Tokai),

NUGW

Tokyo

Both Dokkyo Gakuen and Dokkyo University have faced a variety of crises, from the bankruptcy of their law school to improper management and public scandals. Instead of working to resolve these issues on their own, administrators have forced the burden onto professors in the form of restructuring and downsizing schemes. The GU has issued warnings before about Dokkyo’s unusual management decisions such as their new and old Foreign Language Departments which run alongside each other, with new and old curricula, and their failure to meet their responsibilities as employers. In the past, we have successfully blocked the university’s attempts to force instructors to resign. We have established labour agreements stipulating that the

university ‘eliminate individual consultations as well as impediments to refusal of voluntary retirement.’

However, after adopting this agreement the administration maintained a questionable attitude, so the GU submitted multiple enquiries. Despite this, no advance notice of the group firings described below was given. Starting on Jun 7, a group of teachers were summoned individually and given notice by Vice President Akimoto and Department Head Okuda that, ‘because the lessons taught by teachers in the old curriculum are being eliminated, we are asking you all to quit.’ The GU is demanding a repeal of these actions on the grounds that targeting professors from the old curriculum amounts to creating ‘an artificial

GABA claims that most of its instructors are not employees, but self-employed subcontractors.

However, in December 2009, the Osaka Prefectural Labour Commission judged, after careful examination, that GABA teachers are in fact employees under the Trade Union Law. The GU believes that this furthers our demands for

paid holidays and health, pension, and unemployment insurance. The prefectural labour commission not only ruled against GABA, but also made a very strong case as to why GABA instructors are employees, which is what GABA least desired.

GABA therefore appealed the ruling to the Central Labour Commission (See ‘GABA appeal’ – pg. 2)

NUGW Tokyo Nambu Tel: 03-3434-0669 Fax: 03-3433-0334 nugw_ts@jca.apc.org www.nugwnambu.org

General Union – Kansai & Tokai Tel: 06-6352-9619 Fax: 06-6352-9630 Tokai Tel/Fax: 052-561-8555 union@generalunion.org www.generalunion.org

South,

Fukuoka

2 0 1 0 General

Union

Interac was found guilty of unfair labour practices by the Osaka Prefectural Labour Commission in July 2010 for refusing to hold collective bargaining with the General Union.

Osaka prefectural ordinances prevent companies found in violation of the Trade Union Law from bidding on public projects. The General Union, along with allied unions from Osaka Union Network and Osaka Zenrokyo has submitted demands to the Governor of Osaka Prefecture, Hashimoto Toru, that prefectural ordinances be enforced.

As a result, Osaka Prefecture has now informed all divisions of the prefectural government, including the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education that they may no longer enter into contracts with Interac.

Furthermore, Osaka Prefecture has summoned Interac to explain the situation, placing further pressure on the company to obey the Trade Union Law and negotiate. The union’s victory at the Labour Commission and its subsequent economic impact on Interac will go a long way in making sure that not only Interac, but other employers trying to evade their legal obligations, negotiate with the union in the future.

Fukuoka General Union Tel/Fax: 092-473-1222 fukuoka@generalunion.org www.fukuoka.generalunion.org

National Union of General Workers e r s w w w . g e n e r a l u n i o n . o r g

National Union Voice

(See ‘General Union’ – pg. 2) blacklist.’ With these firings, the school has exhibited the arbitrary discrimination they have always denied. All of the GU members within the group of targeted workers have refused to voluntarily resign.

The internal strife among the school’s top administrators over the continuation of the Foreign Language Department has become public knowledge, and public confidence in the university has been lost.

On June 18, after receiving the GU’s official warning in response to the firings, the school held a press conference without the consent of the union or the instructors involved, and made a series of inconsistent public announcements about the events.

This served only to damage the university’s credibility and contribute to a loss of enrollment.

A long term Nova employee and union member was recently non-renewed for the second time in six months, and for the second time we have been able to protect his job and force the company to renew his contract. It is hard to understand the real reasons the teacher was non-renewed. The company stated it was because the member wasn't a good enough teacher. The problem is that they had never really evaluated him, and had actually told him this. There had been a few very minor suggestions for improvement such as “smile more”, but nothing of any real importance.

Initial negotiations saw the contract renewed for 3 months and the teacher agreeing to "retraining". He accepted that perhaps there were some improvements he might make.

He went through two weeks of training and observation without

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National Union Voice

Various media outlets consulted the GU for information and, in a segment titled “Professors Intensely Alienated,” Mainichi TV broadcast an interview with union Chair Yamahara. In the interest of resolving the issue peacefully we have very carefully presented our views. The university’s arbitrary actions in coercing resignations, ignoring the union and holding a destructive press conference have only publicized the school’s troubles and increased their own burden of responsibility. We would like to see a thorough investigation of the facts, laying out how this responsibility will be dealt with and which administrators will be held to blame.

difficulty, and with many positive comments. One month before the end of the contract he was again notified of his non-renewal, with the excuse given that his teaching was substandard. This was in direct contrast to the positive evaluations that he had been given in writing.

The only conclusion we could come to was that a trainer may have had a personal issue with him, or the company was trying to get rid of union members.

The desire to avoid a labor dispute and the accompanying unfair labour practice case, in the midst of the company being sold yet again, made certain that we were able to protect our member's job. We are interested to hear from members and non-members alike about problems over the renewal process. Please contact us at changenova@generalunion.org

Winter 2010

and on 6 October 2010 a ruling was made.

GABA’s appeal was dismissed because the employer was not appealing the ruling but the contents of the reasoning for their ruling.

GABA now has a choice to sue the Central Labour Commission on the basis that their appeal was dismissed, not over whether GABA instructors are employees.

Finally, little by little, everything is closing in on GABA and we hope to be able to report in the future that GABA teachers now have the basic rights and protections afforded to others in the language teaching industry.

Interac, the largest ALT provider in Japan, has been found in violation of the Trade Union Law after refusing negotiations with the union on 16 occasions in 2009.Demands centered on fundamental workers’ rights such as enrollment in unemployment insurance, shakai hoken (health and pension), full pay for hours teachers are expected to be at school, and obedience of the worker’s dispatch law.In order to evade their legal obligation to collective bargaining, Interac demanded copies of membership application forms even though the union had already provided Interac with official membership declarations.

The Osaka Labour Commission has ruled that Interac, by asking for membership application forms, had interfered with the operations of a trade union and must negotiate with the General Union. Interac was also ordered to hand deliver an apology to the General Union for failing to hold collective bargaining.

National Union Voice

Ian R Assistant General Secretary

My history with the General Union goes back to about 1993/94. I was approached to join the union when I was working at a company called Interac. I resisted at first. I wasn’t planning to be in Japan much longer.

I had been in a teachers’ union back home but certainly didn’t think about joining one on coming to Japan.

Things changed when the company

suddenly fired a co-worker with no notice.

He was a great teacher.

They National Union Voice just didn’t need him any more. No 30 days notice, nothing. This pushed me into joining.

I kind of floated around as a union member for a while, attending a few union actions here and there. By then I had begun working at a quasi international school. We had fairly decent conditions and were treated well. But there was also a language school attached and things weren’t so rosy there. They tried to increase teaching hours per week and suddenly told some instructors they needed to work on national holidays.

If it could happen in the language school division it was bound to happen in my department sooner or later. A few of us got together and organized a union branch. In addition to stopping the erosion of working conditions we saw some major improvements such as making sure all lessons were within an 8 hour shift without the need for

General Union members come from a variety of different workplaces and countries, and include people from at least six major language groups.

Some join with their own individual problems, some with the idea of organizing all their coworkers into the union, and others

Jason Combs GABA Branch Executive Officer

teachers to be available all day at the company’s whim.

One of the things I learned was that if I was going to be the face of the union in my workplace I had to improve my performance and be above reproach. It helped me focus my energies and become excited about teaching again.

Since those days I have volunteered for extended periods of time for the union, and I am currently a remunerated officer. Even though I work in a high school, most of my work for the union is in the private language industry and ALT dispatch sectors. As well as trying to win improved general working conditions I think that winning direct hire for ALTs is essential to ensure the quality of education. I could rave on as to why I think direct hire and better working conditions are important industry wide but for space considerations I would say, make an appointment, come into the office and find out more, and get involved.

who join just because they support unions.

Over the next few editions of the Voice we will be running stories from union officers and regular members about why they joined the union, and more importantly, what do they do to make their union stronger.

I joined the union because I believe Gaba’s Itaku contracts are a symptom of the larger global problem of temporary, unstable employment and deteriorating working conditions. I believe that a strong labor movement needs to be built in the service industry, as manufacturing and industrial jobs have been exported abroad for cheap labor, and service jobs don’t provide enough to live on or provide for a family.

As a member, I attend meetings regularly, design and distribute

Winter 2010

leaflets and flyers, hand out the Union Voice and talk to others in my workplace about the union.

Internally, I press to ensure our union is as democratic as possible and that the interests of our branch are reflected in union policy.

My impression of General Union so far is that it is far more progressive and flexible than some of the larger unions in Japan, and that despite our branch being perhaps the only one in Kanto, General Union has spent a reasonable amount of time and effort coming out to Tokyo to work with us.

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National Union Voice National Union Voice How many of you would agree to the following contract?

1. Keep a full year free to work for us.

2. If there’s work, we’ll pay you.

3. If there’s no work, we’ll pay you one month and then nothing more.

Unfortunately, many university teachers are having to sign such contracts. When the university doesn’t get the enrollment that they wish for a class, they simply cut the teacher’s koma.

Basically, universities force their business risk on to the employees.

Part-time university teachers already face a lot of uncertainty and a lack of job security year to year. Now universities are compounding this problem by refusing to honour their own employment contracts. This is what happened to a member at Tezukayama when he lost both his koma at the start of the new semester.

We know that universities will argue that the clause allowing them to do this are stated clearly in the contracts. The Tezukayama contract also states that the university can cancel the koma with one month’s

The union and ECC have started labour-management discussions (Collective Agreement 2010.4.26) giving members the opportunity to express their concerns, opinions, and suggestions directly to management.

Union members attending have raised several issues including:  school director evaluations  the new customer survey distribution method  the shift towards assigning teachers to one school  water cooler installation  first aid kits

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pay.

We believe that the Labour Standards Law forbids this kind of treatment.

Article 26 of the law states, “In the event of an absence from work for a cause imputable to the employer, the employer shall pay an allowance equal to 60 percent or more of the worker’s average wage…” In cases where the standards set in the contract are less than the minimum standards in the law, the law prevails (Article 13).

In a case like Tezukayama, where the koma was cancelled due to the university’s failure to sign up enough students to the class, we believe that the Labour Standards Law’s requirement to pay 60% or more of the wages to be clear.

The union plans to challenge this unfair cut by first demanding 100% payment from the employer, and then follow it up with a complaint at the Labour Standards Office. We believe that a victory, where either the university backs down or the Labour Standards Office issues an order, will make it more difficult for other universities to implement similar points in their employment contracts.



school materials (KEW materials and FTL texts) The union is always interested in hearing your ideas.

And water coolers, too The General Union has won the installation of water coolers in schools with limited access to water.

ECC has agreed to provide water coolers in schools where the only access to water is in the toilets.

Many schools have shared kitchen facilities with other tenants.

Winter 2010

Are you worried about possible changes to your working conditions in the following year? Are you even more worried that these changes will occur with little or no notice?

General Union members at Seibo now have a little less to worry about.

Seibo has agreed to consult with the union when there are possible changes to working conditions in the following year.

At Seibo Jogakuin, the General Union branch submitted a demand for a preconsultation agreement to achieve a secure working environment and job security. After negotiations with the union, the school sent a reply agreeing to our proposal.

The first clause requires that the employer will come to a decision only after proper consultation with the union. Since many of our members are on limited-term contracts, the second clause supports this as it enables the union to discuss any changes to the contract status at negotiations rather than at the last minute.

This also means that if there is no contact from the school regarding contract changes, members can rest assured that they will have their contracts renewed and their current working conditions protected.

Changes of working conditions, especially class cuts, are the main reasons for members calling the union in the autumn and winter of each year.

The General Union already has similar pre-consultation agreements with the Osaka Institute of Technology and Setsunan University, where this rule is in effect for each school in the institution with which the General Union has a relationship.

More union news at www.generalunion.org

National Union Voice National Union Voice 「マンツーマン・レッスン」の派手な 広告で有名な「ＧＡＢＡ＝ガバ」は、 全国各地に英会話教室を展開する 東証マザーズ上場企業です。ところ が、ゼネラルユニオンの多言語ホッ トラインに「労働法が適用されず、 契約がおかしい」との相談が殺到し た事で、調査してみると、外国人講 師契約は「雇用でなく個人委託」と なっていました。生徒募集・教室・教 科書等はすべて会社の責任で管理 しており、実態は「個人事業主では なく雇用」である事が判明しました。 また、会社は「従業員だと認めたく ない」と、労組との団交も拒否しまし たが、大阪府労働委員会は昨年 12 月 22 日「団交拒否は違法であり、 講師は労働者である」と、会社実質 敗訴の命令を発しました。しかし、 会社は未だに従っていません。 会社が 2010 年 3 月 29 日に、関東 財務局に提出した「有価証券報告 書」で、この法違反の記述ををみる と、「事業等のリスク【労基法等】」 の標示記載で、 「当社のインストラクターで、労基法 が定める『労働者の定義』に関する 法令改正・裁判例変遷や、行政当 局による対応の変化が生じた場合 等は、これに応じた対応を迫られ、 当社の業績に影響を及ぼす可能性 があります」とあります。 「ＧＡＢＡ講師は従業員でない」との 法律判断こそ、リスクですが、会社 は、これを公表せず、雇用への転 換をも拒否し、報告書の虚偽記載 を続けています。 また同報告書の「労組の状況」欄に は、「労組は結成 されてお りま せ ん。労使関係は円滑円満」と、信じ られない虚偽記載も掲載されてい ます。自社の労組＝ゼネラルユニ オンＧＡＢＡ支部に訴えられ敗訴し たさえ隠蔽しています。

有 名 な 全国 大手 企 業で あ り な が ら、以上のような虚偽不実記載をく りかえすし、株主【そして講師や生 徒】さんのための情報公開やリスク 回避をも怠っている責任は重大で あります。よって、今回、それらを取 締る「証券取引等監視委員会」宛 に、この事実が通知され、法違反の 調査がされることになりました。

て何らの不利益も課していない」 「救済命令等の理由中の判断に不 服があるに過ぎない場合は、再審 査申立は許されない」などの画期 的判断を下し、門前払いとした。こ の決定は、労働者性判断の変更で はなく、「会社の再申立は、前例も なく権限もない」という資格・手続判 断からきているため、会社側は、労 働者性の判断などで、行政訴訟な どもできない袋小路に入ってしまっ た。 gaba は有価証券報告書虚偽記載 で、証券取引等監視委員会に通報 されたが、その後、ジャパンタイム ズも「講師が従業員でない」とのス キャンダルをページ全面で掲載し、 一方、ゼネラルユニオンの闘いを 紹介した。gaba の経営も行き詰まっ ているかもしれないが、こういう時こ そ、リスクを回避し、まともな雇用契 約 へ の 一 斉切 替 を 急 ぐ べ きで あ る。

Winter 2010

ムの先生方の授業をなくすので、 辞めて頂く事になった」と次々と通 告している。当労組は「旧リストは、 不自然なブラックリスト」と、撤回を 求めてきた。貴校はその意図を否 定してきたが、ここへきて、その恣 意的差別を自己暴露した。対象に なった者のうち、当労組員は全員、 これらの退職強要を完全に拒否し ている。 大学トップの「外国語学部存続をめ ぐる内部対立」も公然となり、姫路 獨協大の対外信用も地に落ちてき ていた。さらに、貴校は、当労組に 「警告書」を送付された後の、６月 18 日、突然、記者会見をもち、労 組も本人も何ら合意もしていない支 離滅裂な 内容を 無責任 に公表 し た。これは、大学自ら、大学の信用 を失墜させ、学生減少に手を貸して しまった事である。 当労組にも報 道各社から取材が殺到し、毎日ＴＶ は「講師モーレツ反発」という番組 で、山原委員長の単独インタビュー まで放映した。だが当方は、沈静化 のため、あえて慎重な見解で対応 した。しかし独断専行そのものの、 一連の「退職強要」「労組無視」「致 命的記者会見」等を強行し、自らト ラブルを公表・拡大してきた責任は 大きい。真相究明のうえ、どの幹部 の方々が、どう責任を取られるの か、明らかにして頂きたい。

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ゼ ネ ラ ル ユ ニ オ ン ( 関 西 ・ 東 海 ) 、 全 国 一 般 東 京 南 部 、 福 岡 ゼ ネ ラ ル ユ ニ オ ン

学校法人獨協学園と、姫路獨協大 学は、ロースクール破綻などの、不 適切な経営や不祥事から生じた危 機を、自らの努力で打開することな く、教職員へのリストラでシワ寄せ せんとしている。当労組は、「新旧 外国語学部の併設や、新旧カリキ ュラム」など異常な運営と、雇用責 任放棄に対し、何度も警告してき た。これまで、希望退職や雇い止め が強行されんとした際も、我々の抗 議で、それらを撤回し、「今後、個別

の面談はしない。希望退職に応じ なくても不利益はない」、との労使 合意で事なきを得た。 しかし、その後も大学当局の動向 が不審なため、再三、貴校に質問 状を送付したが、直前の回答書で すら、後述の一斉首切りなどの提 案や予告は、一切なかった。ところ が、６月７日以降、勝手にリストアッ プした者を個別に呼出し、秋本副学 長・岡田学部長らが「旧カリキュラ 【続き p.5 ‘姫路’】

聖母女学院【京都・大阪で高中小 短大を展開】では、雇用不安を防 ぎ、安心して働ける環境づくりをめ ざして、ゼネラルユニオン聖母支部 から学校法人へ「事前協議制」の要 求が提出されていたが、団体交渉 での合意に至り、今般、学校より以 下の回答書が提出され、ゼネラル ユニオンもこの労働協約化に同意 した。 冒頭の一項は、典型的な労使事前 協議制協定であるが、次項は、有 期雇用が多い状況を考慮し、次年 度の変更の可能性を、前年度の早 い時期から情報公開し、必要に応 じて、団体交渉の議題にしていける 画期的な労使ルールである。反 面、何も変更予定の連絡がない場 合は、継続した雇用が見込まれる ため、毎年、秋以降にゼネラルユニ

オンにヨセラレル「更新やコマ減な どの雇用不安」が自動的に一掃さ れることになる。 これらは既に、大阪工業大・摂南大 にも、法人本部と各校・各学部の間 で、学内ルールとしてに存在してお り、これが、ゼネラルユニオンともリ ンクしているため、今回の聖母女学 院と同様の事前協議制が、十分に 機能している。また、各地の労働委 員会でも「有期雇用組合員の次年 度労働条件」は、使用者の団交応 諾義務が認定ー命令されている。 今後、これらの労使協定がさらに、 あらゆる学校・会社に拡大していけ ば、有期など非正規雇用労働者に とって、大きな雇用安定と権利拡大 になることは間違いなく、注目され ている。

gaba＝ガバ社は、ほとんどの外国 人講師を「雇用」として扱わず、個 人偽装委託させている。大阪府労 委は証人や証拠に基づき、慎重に 審理した結果、 2009 年 12 月に 「gaba 講師に労働者性あり」との判 断を下した。結果、労基法や社会保 険や税法など、会社の法違反が明 白になった。だが、会社は、中労委 に再審査を申立てた。 会社の迷走は破綻の連続であっ た。ゼネラルユニオン gaba 支部か ら団交を要求された当時、会社は 「従業員でないから団交義務ナシ」 と言えず、労使交渉を続けてきた。 しかし最終的に、そこでの、年休や 社会保険要求を全部拒否し、おま けに、「これまでの交渉は団交でな く、単なる話合いであった」との苦し い決裂をしてしまった。そのためユ ニオンは、「団交は不誠実」と不当 労働行為で訴えたのだ。 府労委は、「gaba 講師は労働者で、 団交義務あり」との判断を下す一 方、「しかしこれも団交であった」と、 ユニオンの申立を棄却？した。すな わち、ユニオンの実質勝利の命令 が下されたのだ。これに困った会社 は、「判断変更」を求めた再審査申 立で、中労委に駆け込んだ。 中労委は労使からのヒアリングを経 て、2010 年 10 月６日、「会社の再審 査申立は不適法なもとして却下」と 断罪し、「初審命令は、会社に対し 【続き p.5 ‘GABA’】

全 国 一 般 全 国 協 議 会 w w w . g e n e r a l u n i o n . o r g