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Benesse Corp. bigwig bashes underling in meeting
An executive from correspondence education giant [and parent company of Berlitz and Simul] Benesse Corp. faces punishment after he punched a middle manager during a meeting last month, the company said. The executive, a 53-year-old man whose name has not been released, has apologized to the lower-ranking manager who he hit. But Benesse Corp. officials…
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School row traps Aussies
AROUND 2500 Australians working in Japan as English teachers could be left stranded if school operator Nova Corp goes under. Union spokesman Katsuji Yamahara warned yesterday that in a worst-case scenario, the Australians would have to try for scarce new jobs or go home in despair. Already they are working without pay. Mr Yamahara ?…
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Unions want Nova, president indicted over payroll delays
A labor union representing teachers at scandal-hit Nova Corp. submitted a petition Tuesday to the Osaka labor standards authority asking it to seek an indictment against the language school chain and President Nozomu Sahashi for breaching labor laws. The General Union asked the Osaka Central Labor Standards Supervision Office ? an arm of the Health,…
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NOVA over? Teachers strike over unpaid wages, demand president face charges
A labor union representing teachers from scandal-plagued NOVA Corp. went on strike Tuesday demanding the English conversation school chain pay unpaid wages and agree to collective negotiations. The Nova teachers’ branch of the National Union of General Workers Nambu also joined with other unions from western Japan to ask Labor Standards Supervision Offices in Tokyo…
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Labor unions seek indictment of Nova over delayed wage payment
A labor union representing teachers at scandal-hit English-language school operator Nova Corp. submitted a petition Tuesday to the Osaka labor standards authority, asking it to seek an indictment of the company and its president Nozomu Sahashi on charges of a breach of labor standards laws. The General Union [Tokyo Nambu’s sister union] asked the Osaka…
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Oh NOVA! More English students sue chain
Three more former students of the beleaguered English conversation school NOVA have sued it over repayment of funds for cancelled contracts. The group of three filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court demanding that the Osaka-based conversation school chain repay a total of 1.46 million yen because of unfair accounting practices when returning money…
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Aussie Nova teachers to be helped by consulates
Australia is offering consular assistance to its nationals who are working in Japan for struggling, scandal-hit language school chain Nova Corp., Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said Friday. “We’ll provide them with consular assistance if they need it,” he said. “If they get into real personal difficulties, we’ll obviously help them out.” Some 1,300 Australians…
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Aussies lose teaching jobs in Japan
Consular assistance is being offered to 1,300 Australians whose English-teaching company in Japan is going bust, Foreign Affairs minister Alexander Downer says. Mr Downer said some of the teachers would return to Australia, while others would simply get another job. Last month, the Osaka-based Nova Corporation reassured their 7,000 staff, 5,000 of whom are foreigners,…
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Nova struggling to pay refunds, wages
Major English-conversation school operator Nova Corp. is struggling to pay refunds for prepaid lessons to students who canceled their contracts with the company midterm and has had difficulty paying employees’ salaries, according to sources. The Osaka Chuo Labor Standards Inspection Office in Osaka has instructed the Osaka-based company four times to pay wages to its…
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English-language school Nova Corp. has raised ¥70 million in cash by issuing warrants for 200 million shares in total to two investment companies registered in the Virgin Islands, according to a paper submitted to the Kanto Local Financial Bureau and released to the public Tuesday. According to the paper, the scandal-hit language school will use…