Job Discussion Forums

[Sage]

Okay, so I was told that the "union" is fighting to get all ECC teachers NHI co-payments and close the legal loophole that ECC is using to deny us that benefit.

Is this such a wise idea?

One of the very very nice things about working for ECC is that you work less than thirty hours per week. What do you think ECC is going to do the second they have to start paying all the teachers� co-payments to NHI?

What ECC is going to do is up the work week for all teachers to 40 hours and you won't be getting any raise to go along with the extra hours. Then, since they will have lots more work hours to spread around they most likely will hire (guessing) 2/5 less teachers in the future.

Fewer teachers, more hours, no raise? Is that what the "union" is fighting for? Is that something ECC teachers want? As an ECC teacher I really don't want more hours at the same pay I'm getting now.

NOTES: I understand due to Japanese law it�s hard to get fired and hard to change contracts of existing employees. (But both can and do happen in Japan, however). Also, most likely this change would, if made, effect new teachers joining ECC but not existing teachers. I also admit I don't the labor laws backwards and forwards but if I was running ECC and this was forced on me I know I'd do exactly what I figure ECC will do.

In the end is the gain worth the potential losses?

PS: This isn't a flame of anyone... I'm just worried that the best thing to do isn't fight ECC on this issue. Please, tell me why I'm worried for no reason.

Thanks and hoppyness,

Sage

[Speed]

[Glenski]

Look here for some info on the issue.

http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/showthread.php?t=8874

[Speed]

Thank you for the link Mr. Glenski.

I really hope those companies that require their instructors to teach 40 hours a week are forced to provide shakai hoken (like they should be).

But to force companies to pay shakai hoken for workers working less than 30 hours a week, I don't agree with.

I agree with Sage that forcing ECC to pay into the shakai hoken for its instructors will utlimately lead to the 40 hour grind.

I like having the CHOICE of whether to work for a 40 hour a week or a 29.5 hour a week eikawa.

In the 90's, I worked for an eikawa, for 25 hours a week, for aproximately the same pay as the Big 3 and ECC, and I was extremely happy.

I feel that my free time is sometimes more important than money.


PS. ECC workers, since they don't get shakai hoken, are still eligible to go and get Kokumin Nenkin (National Pension Plan) for retirement.

For health coverage, they can get Kokumin Hoken (National Health Care).

Overseas insurance plans are not the only viable option.

[Li-ka]

Grumble.... I LIKE my 29.5 hour work week, thanks! I think that's more beneficial to my health than actually getting health insurance (maybe). I'd much rather have the option to pick an eikaiwa with a shorter work week and have to pay for my health insurance, than get the health insurance and be commited to another 10+ hours per week. Should we start our own little protest? Hopefully, nothing will happen before April...

[DoctorPayne]

Man, this sucks. That 29.5 hour work week is a big draw for me to ECC, so these union cronies better check demsleves befo' they wreck demselves. I swear I have only had bad experiences with unions. Not that I'm against the idea of union but they get ahead of themselves.

[Sage]

Where is the union I wonder? Won't one of you step-up and reply to this issue?

[Mishark]

[generalunionone]

Thank you for all the interesting comments regarding the General Union�s demands for Shakai Hoken (Employee�s Health and Pension Insurance).
I would like to comment on some of the points that have been raised.

1. The union is not singling out anyone company in our demands for Shakai Hoken (SH). We have raised demands to most of the major language industry employers: Nova, GEOS, AEON, ECC, and Interac.

2. In the case of NOVA, GEOS, and AEON, there is no argument. The teachers all work over thirty hours per week and therefore, by Japanese law, not General Union law, should be enrol teachers in this insurance. In the case of ECC, we believe that they are also in violation of the law even though teachers do not work thirty plus hours. This is because:
a. Teachers are classified as full time (the requirement in the law is that workers working � of the hours of a full timer are enrolled).
b. In our conversations with the relevant authorities we have been told that when using the above � rule, workers in the same job category should be compared, you don�t compare teachers to staff. Therefore 29.5 hours is 100% and anyone working ��s of 29.5 hours would be considered eligible for this insurance.

3. The union is not doing this to be vindictive or to �score one� against the eikaiwa industry, we are doing this because there is a need for proper health insurance in this industry. Why is there a need for health insurance, and public health insurance vs. private health insurance? Well, we can all get sick and if you are not on public health insurance, there is a big chance that you will not be taken care of properly if you are ill. Public health insurance has not maximum limits for payment (in fact, there are caps on the maximum that you will have to pay), there is no time limit on treating a single illness, you are covered even for pre-existing conditions, if you are away from work due to illness you can receive 60% of your wages for two years (this is not available on the Kokumin Kenko Hoken through the ward office), there is also a disability pension attached, a lump sum payment for childbirth, and 60% of your wages covered for maternity leave, and finally, it is the health insurance that you must be on if you are in Japan.

4. Why are we talking about the benefits of the health insurance only even though the pension is the biggest chunk of the payments? This is simple, if you are in the pension system for twenty five years, you�ll get a pension, but the biggest reason is that most eikaiwa teachers, over 90% will get most of their money back. This is because over 90% of foreigners coming to Japan on working visas leave before three years. The current SH pension system has a mechanism for getting over 90% of your pension money back if you have been in the pension system for three years or less (if you pay in longer than three years, your return will be less than 90%). The union will also begin negotiations with the Health, Welfare, and Labour Ministry to increase the three year limit.
But let�s face it, the vast majority of eikaiwa teachers in Japan will, in the end, only have to pay for health insurance anyhow.

5. Regarding threats by the companies regarding increased hours or cuts in pay, well, we have to fight through these things. There is no sense in backing down each time the employer makes a threat against our demands. If we had done this from the beginning there would be no unemployment insurance, no paid holidays, and the labour standards law would have been a joke. Now, at least the largest employers give teachers unemployment insurance (and yes, many teachers actually use this insurance as we get regular calls about it), flexible paid holidays, and follow most of the relevant labour laws. Anyone who knows the history of these battles knows that the employers made numerous threats, even firings sometimes, as we tried to win these rights, had we of backed down then, you would not have the benefits that you currently have, and without a union, there would have been an even greater worsening of working conditions.
If you want to prevent the worsening of working conditions, then the best way is not to tell the union to drop their demands for improvements, but to join the union to stop employer attempts to lessen your working conditions. Actually, the birth of the union at ECC was due to employer attempts to increase to a forty hour work week, we stopped it.
If you have demands or ideas, the best thing is to be in the union.

6. Finally, let�s face it. As long as the employers continue to violate the law, this will never be a worthwhile industry to work in or study in. The companies� flagrant violation of the law is what also allows them to believe that they can treat teachers and staff in a disrespectful way. Once we make the employers follow the basic laws of the land is when we can start making even greater strides in improving over all working conditions.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at 06-6352-9619 or at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Dennis Tesolat
General Union Vice Chair

[Glenski]

generalunionone wrote:

[DoctorPayne]

My problem with unions is related to what "Speed" brought up; the issue of choice. If ECC bumps the work week up to 40 hours to compensate for the health/pension plan, I would like the choice to take the 40 hour week with benefits or the 29.5 hour week without. Since I am young and healthy I would prefer the latter.

[inkansai]

I understand that not everyone wants to be enrolled in SHAKAI HOKEN (Employees Health and Pension Insurance), but why shouldn't the teachers (particulary those with families) be given the choice. ECC doesn't even enrol teachers who are working more than 30 hours a week- even if they want to join.

I'm enrolled in KOKUMIN KENKO HOKEN (National Health Insurance) and pay 44,000 yen a month. The only thing that ECC does when you are in hospital is check to make sure you are actually in hospital and try and force you to quit. 60% of your wage being paid while you are sick is very attractive to me. National Health Insurance doesn't provide you or your family with any form of security.

Why don't you join the union so we can all fight this together? Exercise your right to have a 29.5 hour contract with no SHAKAI HOKEN if that is what you wish. Because realistically employment contracts at ECC are far from fair.

How much more an hour do 25 hour contract teachers get than you and me? Is this fair?

Has ECC increased the starting wage since April 14, 1998? That's 7 years!

How much was your raise last year? I hope it was better than a 1000 yen. How was it calculated? What was the maximum amount? Were you in that slot ? Have you been handing out flyers a lot lately? Are you happy about this?

Do you teach 10 kids class a week and get paid the same as someone teaching only FTLs? Is the pay scale fair?

There is a lot that we can all do to make ECC an even better place to work.