Bad news

[CDNSushi]

Yeah, so that thread I posted yesterday about wanting advice to deal with co-workers? It's just become irrelevant.

We're all losing our jobs -- found out today that the board of ed. will be outsourcing our jobs to a private company come Spring. (6 foreign teachers are immediately affected and possibly 5 more).

Then, to add insult to injury, two of my co-workers found out TODAY that a new contract (which they weren't allowed to see until today) went into effect on Aug. 1 and cut their salary by $500 a month, unbeknownst to them, because an accounting error paid them their old salary. So now, the board of ed. wants the money back and will be docking their salaries by $1000 for the next two months.

No, wait... This gets even better! The timing is impeccable. One of my co-workers (and next door neighbour) just found out (a month ago) that his wife was pregnant with their first child, so she will be having to leave her job just at the time he'll be losing his, and they were really counting on that cash. Plus, he just bought a new motorbike to get to work since his old one is broken past the point of being worth to fix.

As for my wife and I, well we both work for the board of ed. so yeah, we're both losing our jobs. At least we're not pregnant (as far as I know)... But we have no savings because we're trying to put me through school (MBA)...

All of this is yet to become official, so that has bought us a little bit of time, so tomorrow, I'll be calling the union to try and get an organizer over here from Tokyo to see if we can organize a local chapter and start demanding collective bargaining. I'm not very optimistic though, for technical reasons I can't get into here.

Our other co-worker will be on the phone with the Labor Standards Board, as we don't think what the board of ed. is exactly legal (informing someone a month and a half after their pay has been cut that their pay is cut and that they need to pay the money back)...

<sigh>

All I can say is, for those of you who have faith: please pray for us. Right now we can sure use it.

[Galician]

Oh, gosh! what a horrible situation. So sorry to hear about your predicament.

I certainly agree with you that the way the contract was handled seems very suspicious and possibly illegal. But, of course, I know nothing about labor law in that country. Does the contractor use foreigner workers? Might it be a protectionist action?

I wish you and your coworkers lots of luck with their actions and your future.

[Santa Kona]

All of the Santa's here at Xmarks will be putting they on our naughty list. I personally will keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers.

[pdcorlis]

Shockingly bad news!

[Dall_Piobaire]

Just curious, but, how does a contract become valid, and enforcable, without one of the parties acknowledging it????

Sorry to hear of your situation, this too you shall survive!

[CDNSushi]

Just curious, but, how does a contract become valid, and enforcable, without one of the parties acknowledging it????

That's exactly why we're calling the Labor Standards Board.

If things don't seem to add up based on what I wrote, it's because they don't. Japanese laws aren't really that much different from the laws in most other industrialized nations. After all, much of modern-day Japan was modeled after the U.S. following WWII.

[Galician]

Had the union signed off on the contract without advising you?

[KFCarter]

Perfectly awful situation and best of luck navigating these rough currents. The treatment was certainly unfair. Hope you find you have some legal grounds for at least forestalling the bad effects and here's hoping you land on your feet!

[CDNSushi]

Galician: no, because we are not unionized (yet)... That is why I am calling the union people tomorrow. Perhaps if we can get an organization drive under way soon (before the news about the outsourcing becomes official) we will have a stronger foothold.

One thing that's interesting about Japanese labour law, is that you do not need to organize an entire workplace to be unionized. It is sufficient for even 1 employee to be member of a union and that employee, under law, has the right to demand collective bargaining.

My goal will be to set up a local here in our city. We have many potential members, even outside our own school district, who are currently unrepresented. If the English teachers here banded together, we could have a fairly strong voice. As it stands now, we have nothing.

[Galician]

Unfortunately, the barn door might already be open on that regard, since they say the contract was already....set(?).

This, however, goes back to the basic issue already raised. Who agreed to the contract on the employee's part?