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For Japan’s English teachers, rays of hope amid the race to the bottom
The major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain “harmony.” Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing: Rather than competing for talent, they have followed one another’s lead,…
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AKB48 members deserve to get workers’ comp for saw attack
On May 25, a man wielding a saw attacked and wounded 19-year-old Rina Kawaei and 18-year-old Anna Iriyama, two members of bumper girl group AKB48, and a male staffer at an event where fans get to shake hands with their AKB idols. Fortunately the injuries were minor, but fans were shocked. The victims and their…
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Demands submitted to Interac/Maxceed concerning Drug Testing
２０１２年４月２９日 株式会社インタラック 御中 株式会社マクシード 御中全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン 執行委員長ルイス・カーレット 全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン 東ゼンＡＬＴ支部 執行委員長アムジッド・アラム 緊急団交申し入れ Emergency Request for CB 全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン（略称：東ゼン）ならびに全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン東ゼンＡＬＴ支部は、貴社に対して、緊急団体交渉を申し入れます。貴社は先日、当組合員らを含む従業員らに対して、薬物検査を受けるよう指示したと伺いました。薬物検査は、通常の雇用関係においてはこれを行う必要性が認められず、よほどの事情がない限り、従業員に広く行われるものではないはずです。昨今の個人情報保護の重要性に鑑みても、安易にこのような検査を実施することに対して、大きな疑問を抱きます。 つきましては、下記の議題にて団交を実施したく存じます。 Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (“Tozen”) and Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union Tozen ALTs request emergency collective bargaining. We have heard that you instructed your employees, including union members, to undergo drug testing. The need for drug testing is not accepted for an ordinary employment relationship…
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Collective Bargaining Demands Submitted to Interac/Maxceed
Demands for collective bargaining were submitted today to the offices of Interac/Maxceed/Selti. Remember that time you asked your boss about Shakai Hoken and you were ignored? Or that time you asked about the possibility of a pay raise next year and you were brushed off? Or that time you asked why you only get partial…
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An Immigration Stimulus for Japan
Hidenori Sakanaka, former Chief of Entry and Residence at the Nagoya and Tokyo Immigration Bureaus, argues that Japan allowing in more foreign workers would boost growth, especially in quake-ravaged areas.
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Renewal Time
Hello all, It is that time of year again! Time for the mad scramble of March when good teachers everywhere are worried if their contracts are going to be renewed or not, otherwise known as the “ALT Shuffle”. Two things you should be sure NOT to do: 1) Do NOT let your employer force you…
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Interac banned from Osaka prefectural projects
Cross posted from the General Union. Let’s all work together for ALTs to be directly hired. ———————————————– Interac has been 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 (full story here). Osaka prefectural ordinances prevent companies found in…
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Health Checks – They’re mandatory! Interac ordered to obey the law
Cross-posted from the General Union in Osaka: 5 Jul 2010 Health Checks – They’re mandatory! Interac ordered to obey the law Industrial Health & Safety Act For many westerners, the idea of a state mandated health check smacks of a nanny state, and we are often reluctant to submit to the tests. While not all…
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Attention ALTs!
If Interac tries to pressure you into signing up for Kokumin Kenko Hoken, don’t do it! Kokumin Kenko Hoken is for people that are self-employed or unemployed. If you sign up for Kokumin Kenko Hoken, you may be forced to back enroll into the system up to the time that you started working in Japan…
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An open letter to Interac concerning health insurance
An open letter to the management of Interac (as well as Maxceed and Selnate) November 5th, 2009 To whom it may concern (including Kevin Salthouse and Denis Cusack), I am an executive of the ALT branch of Tokyo Nambu’s Foreign Workers Caucus. I worked for Interac from September of 2005 until February 2008, under the…