Job Discussion Forums

[rickman]

Nova claims to randomly select teachers for drug testing before departing to Japan. Has anybody been selected for this procedure?

[locagrl814]

no, it doesn't bother me at all. Besides, i have nothing to worry about... I dont do drugs.

[nakanoalien2]

When I joined it was mentioned but never carried out. I believe it was at the company's discretion. In any event, none of my friends went through it.

[ruggedtoast]

I agreed to it as its part of your contract although if they tried to enforce it Id let them and then immediately resign, I dont have anything to hide but theres a principle involved.

[whtaccordrcr]

Yeah, i dont care about the random test before leaving either. However, I am concerned with during working over there. The only reason being, why would they select you after you have been working there. Has anyone heard of somebody being tested at random during the course of their work with NOVA. Or is it only because of obvious reasons (ie. the person comes in every day with blood shot eyes, it began licking the bottom of his chair for 30 minutes )

thanks for all that reply

[foster]

Jeez...if they ever followed through, it would be amazing. 1/2 of the staff at the MMLC center were on drugs and no one got tested to the best of my knowledge...despute having things written about the head trainer on bathroom walls and work stations. It's there but I doubt they would ever use it.

[Iwantmyrightsnow]

The Birth of the Union
September 6, 1994

In a knee-jerk reaction to the arrest of an instructor on drug charges, Nova management unilaterally decided to openly discriminate against its foreign employees by implementing a drug testing policy that excluded Japanese staff. Management attempted to force teachers to sign a letter of consent for mandatory drug testing. Teachers were threatened with instant dismissal if they refused to sign the agreement. "Sign or pack your things," was the motto of the day. Faced with the threat of unemployment, many teachers elected to sign. Teachers were forbidden to take copies of the consent letters, nor were they given time to seek legal advice.

Existing Nova union members took the initiative in advising coworkers of their rights. As a result, a number of schools saw an overwhelming majority of teachers rejecting Nova's ultimatum and refusing to sign the letter. Frantic phone calls across Kansai ensured standing room only at a hastily convened meeting of the General Union Nova Union Branch on the Sunday (Sept 10th) immediately following the announcement.

Demands were formulated; press conferences held. This violation of human rights was spurring NOVA employees across the country to act, seeing the birth of the General Union-Nova branch (Kansai) and National Union of General Workers-Nova Union Branch (Kanto). It was a tumultuous time with hundreds of people joining both unions on mass and participating in demonstrations. The rallying cry was "Saruhashi can piss all he wants but we ain't pissing for Nova."

With the threat of industrial action Nova was forced to back down on the issue. The fate of such testing was sealed when on 25th July 1995, the Human Rights Committee of the Osaka Bar Association ruled that the testing was not only discriminatory as it was aimed at only foreign employees but also a violation of instructors' human rights.

While the clause still remains in the contract, Nova has quietly backed away from the issue, having never tested a single person.

[worldwidealive]

I know of no one who has been drug tested prior to departure. I think that Nova uses this as a scare tactic to "set the tone."

I also know of no one that has been tested after arrival and while on the job. They are more likely to fire you for any results of the drug use (i.e. coming to work late all of the time, coming to work high, etc.) Being blasted drunk out of your mind is perfectly acceptable every night of the week in Japan, so most people would never know the difference. Coming to work drunk or stoned, however, is not acceptable and is likely to dealt with harshly.

Of course, laws in Japan are quite strict when it comes to drug possession or purchase - just a small amount will give you an opportunity to visit a Japanese jail and then to experience a deportation.

WWA

[madeira]

I asked about the drug test during my NOVA interview, and told them I wouldn`t do it.

They told me at the time`No one has ever been tested`.

In Japan, they can`t do drug tests.

Now, for some reason, they still offered me a job... but I didn`t take it, so my info isn`t perfect. That was 4 years ago, too.

It was the `non-socialization` clause that got my back up. And the bloody terrible texts. Apparently the texts have been changed recently, though.