General Union Still At It

The General Union is still nipping at g.education's heels over the raw deal instructors were given when they were effectively fired by not having their contracts renewed. UPDATED 03/18

According to the Asahi Shimbun, the General Union plans to file another petition on the 17th with the Osaka Labor Bureau citing g.education's refusal to engage in collective bargaining as an unfair labor practice. The union says that g.education has refused to renew the contracts of about 300 instructors who had been recently rehired. The union says is has asked g.education to engage in collective bargaining 3 times but has been refused each time. A spokesman for g.education says that it is acting in good faith and will make a decision after reviewing the request for collective bargaining.

ＮＯＶＡ譲渡先の団交拒否は不当労働行為　救済申し立て

昨年１１月に倒産した英会話学校大手ＮＯＶＡの元外国人講師を再雇用した「ジー・エデュケーション」（名古屋市）による雇用契約の更新拒否問題で、一部講師が加入する労働組合「ゼネラルユニオン」（大阪市）は１３日、「ジー社側が団体交渉に応じないのは不当労働行為にあたる」などとして、１７日に大阪府労働委員会に救済を申し立てることを明らかにした。

同労組によると、ジー社側は今年１月以降、再雇用したばかりの講師約３００人の雇用契約更新を拒否。同労組が団体交渉を３回申し入れたが、応じなかったという。

ジー社側の広報担当者は「労組には誠実に対応している。申し立ての内容を見て判断したい」と話している。

Update 03/18

From The Japan Times

A union representing teachers from bankrupt language school chain Nova Corp. filed for aid Monday with the Osaka Prefectural Labor Relations Commission, complaining that Nova's partial successor, G.communication Co., has engaged in unfair labor practices by refusing to attend negotiations over the teachers' employment.

According to the petition, Nagoya-based G.communication is continuing to dismiss teachers and is refusing to renew contracts for a number of them in violation of its initial agreement to rehire all those who wished to be re-employed.

The company is also refusing to attend negotiations requested by the union.

[...]

"Although G.communication should conclude new contracts, it is refusing to renew them, saying the Nova contract periods have expired. This is clearly unjust," union Chairman Katsuji Yamahara said.

Comment: Does g.communication understand that news coverage like this is bad for the company? To date, they've had mixed results with opening schools, reneged on its promise to hire instructors back, and jerked the remaining instructors around on their terms of employment. On top of this, g.communication has yet to launch an ad campaign beyond a lone ad for part-timers on their website and handing out some tissues.

This is not going to end well.