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Nationwide Probe of 750 Language Schools
The evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun carried a story by Ari Hirayama about a nationwide probe of 750 language schools suspected of not enrolling foreign teachers in shakai hoken (employee pension and health scheme), not only on the front page but as the top story. It even beat out Saddam Hussein’s indictment. Bob Tench,…
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New Nova hours pose health risk
Bob Tench, president of the Nova Teachers’ Union, argues that Nova’s attempts to “wriggle out of its obligations” under the insurance system, could leave teachers, particularly those with families, in an dangerous position should they become ill while working for the company and have to take time off work. “Most teachers aren’t even aware of…
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Foreign Teachers’ Concerns Voiced at Diet Hearings
On Friday 15 April, foreign teachers, members of NUGW Tokyo Nambu branch unions, assembled in a boisterous demonstration opposite the Diet building in Tokyo. Union members from Fukuoka, Iwate, Kobe, and Nagoya, as well as over 30 participants from Kanto, were present. “Being here really does make a difference,” said Louis Carlet, Nambu Deputy Secretary-General.…
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English schools face huge insurance probe
Bob Tench, president of the Nova Union, says that Nova’s failure to enroll its teachers while offering JMA insurance is irresponsible. “This JMA insurance is only designed to ‘patch you up and ship you home,’ ” he says. “JMA is travel insurance and should not be used for everyday health care. “The government and the…
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English on the Cheap
Dispatch companies employ teachers, so while they have an employer-employee relationship, the BOE (school) holds no legal relationship with the teacher. And while all workers in a school must be under the authority of the principal, in this situation, they are not. Also, if your company designates a method of teaching, but your team teacher…
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Public Hearing at Nagatacho
Foreign University Lecturers and Four Unions Meet Ministry Officials and Lawmakers What was expected to be another lackluster negotiating sessions with junior officials of the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ministry of Labor and Welfare (MoL/W) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) concerning the problems of foreign university teachers turned out to be the real…
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Top temp agency seen forcing unpaid overtime
Staff Service Group is facing allegations that it systematically forced about 4,000 employees nationwide to work overtime and neglected to pay a total of about 3 billion yen in wages, according to sources. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050226a3.htm
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Bic Camera hit for overtime nonpayment
“Bic Camera allegedly failed to pay overtime allowances totaling 127 million yen to some 110 employees at its outlets in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro and Shinjuku districts between December 2003 and last November. Failure to pay overtime is a violation of the Labor Standards Law.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050226a9.htm
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Workplace worries
Seven of us who teach at a university in Tokyo would like to start a labor union, but many of us are afraid the university will refuse to renew the contracts of members of the union next April. What should we do? http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20041221zg.htm
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Right side of the law
I am an Assistant Language Teacher at a middle school outside of Tokyo. My employer is a large dispatch company, but I’m not sure if it has a dispatch license. My manager told me the company has a “gyomu-itaku” or “entrusted service contract” with the local school board. One thing confusing me is whether I…