National Union of General Workers

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The National Union of General Workers|全国一般労働組合|全国一般労働組合 (Zenkoku Ippan Roudou Kumiai)a.k.a NUGW, is a Japanese national labor union affiliated with the Zenrokyo (National Trade Union Council), which is itself one of the three main federations within the Japanese trade union structure. The NUGW also acts as an umbrella organisation encompassing numerous smaller autonomous general unions and trade unions, including the National Union of General Workers - Tokyo South (also known as NAMBU), which represents Eastern Japan; the General Union, headquartered in Osaka, representing Western Japan, and the Fukuoka General Union, representing Kyūshū; and the University Teacher's Union (UTU). These unions are sub-divided into smaller chapters representing Japanese members in the publishing industries, whilst most non-Japanese members are employed in Eikaiwa (English-language teaching in Japan). For the most part, union branches are based at vocational schools, conversation schools, and private and public high schools having representative branch unions at dozens of English language schools including NOVA, GEOS, BERLITZ, ECC and INTERAC. [1] The union works to raise awareness of problems faced by foreign workers in Japan, to improve members working conditions and bargaining power and to inform members of their rights under Japanese labor law. [2] Activities include strikes, [3] rallies and leafleting, filing injunctions and arguing cases at Labor Commissions and District Courts [4] on issues such as fixed-term contracts, the non-enrollment of employees into Social Insurance, illegal outsourcing of Assistant Language Teachers by public schools, and unfair dismissals due to one-year contracts.

Contents

Chapters

Tokyo Nambu
File:NUGWmarch1.jpg
A "march in March" demonstration buy NWGU Nambu
The Deputy Secretary General of the National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu (Tokyo South) is Louis Carlet, a U.S citizen and long-term Japan resident.[5]
Carlet organized the first "March in March" in 2005.[5] The 2007 march took place in Shibuya, Tokyo, and attracted around 300, mainly non-Japanese, marchers. The march was organized by the National Union of General Workers Nambu Foreign Workers Caucus, Kanagawa City Union, Zentoitsu Workers' Union and Tokyo Occupational Safety and Wealth Center. The main aims of the march are to focus attention on issues for migrant workers in Japan, such as unfair dismissal, job security, equality regarding accidents in the workplace and health and pension compliance. [6]
General Union (Kansai/Tokai)
File:Crying.jpg
A "march in March" demonstration buy NWGU Nambu
The chair of the General Union is Katsuji Yamahara. Due to pressure from the General Union, in March 2005, the Japanese Government's Social Insurance Agency began to investigate English language schools in Japan for non-payment of Social Insurance (社会保険|社会保険) Shakai Hoken ). In general, non-enrollment of full-time employees is illegal in Japan -- the Health Insurance Law and Employees' Pension Law stipulate that companies must enroll all workers who have been in Japan for over two months in both the health insurance and pension systems, regardless of nationality. Shakai Hoken cover for employees also includes sickness and injury allowance. The burden of payment is split between employer and employee, with each paying about half the monthly premium amount. [7]:The General Union (Osaka) has official consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). [8]
General Union ALT Section
As working conditions and salaries for teachers employed as ALTs at boards of education continue to decline, and with no end in sight to the stranglehold of dispatch companies over this type of employment, the General Union will start negotiating with school boards to reinstitute the practice of hiring teachers directly.
Bidding for these contracts has become highly competitive, and often it is the worker that loses out. Frequent changes of employer, unpaid summer and winter breaks, and a lack of health insurance, pension, unemployment insurance and paid holidays are becoming new ALT industry standards. If boards continue to use dispatch companies, teachers will continue to suffer under these poor working conditions.

References

  1. ↑ The Language Teacher by Susan Carbery
  2. ↑ Metropolis February 17 2006Faces & Places - Q&A - Louis Carlet
  3. ↑ debito.org: December,1998PALE Journal of Professional Issues
  4. ↑ jalt-publications.org November,2001The Language Teacher by Roger Jones
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Metropolis February 17 2006Faces & Places - Q&A - Louis Carlet
  6. ↑ [1] Foreigners march for worker rights, The Japan Times
  7. ↑ The Japan Times April 12, 2005English schools face huge insurance probe
  8. ↑ esa.un.org February 17 2006ECOSOC Roster Consultative Status since 2005

See also

External links



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