Job Discussion Forums

[generalunionone]

Christmas Eve saw the Osaka Labor Commission rule that GABA teachers are employees under Trade Union law. This is a major victory but we aren't finished yet. We need to use this ruling to now win employee working conditions such as paid leave, travel allowances, unemployment insurance etc.

Come to an open meeting to see where we go next.

Tokyo
Date: Sunday January 31
Time: 8:30pm
Place: National Union of General Workers office, Minato-ku, Shimbashi 5-17-7 Map
Phone: 03-3434-0669

Kansai meeting details to be advised in the coming week.

[email protected]

[Apsara]

I used to work at Gaba, and I know people still there that are quite happy with the current flexible system, which they think may end if Gaba has to make them employees rather than contractors. Are you sure you are really representing the best interests of the people who work there?

[mushroomyakuza]

I agree, I think GABA are quite clear abut what kind of ship they run and my impression is employees are happy with these conditions.

Could you be a little more specific as to what has actually been achieved here and what, if any, the new requirements with GABA now are? I seriously hope this doesn't affect their recruiting, as my girlfriend is currently applying for a job with them and it's likely to be her only chance at a job in Japan.

[Pitarou]

General Union have explained their aims on their website at http://gaba.generalunion.org/. They are not against GABA's flexible schedule for those who want it:

[Glenski]

Sounds like GABA is trying to sidestep the law by calling its teachers "sub-contractors". Apparently, the union has won a battle to change that title to something more appropriate: employee. That will allow the union to fight for more of those deserved benefits.

[Apsara]

I suppose some people might go for becoming full employees at Gaba, but probably only if they can keep the present payment system.

Years back I was a full-time instructor at Gaba- at that time they actually had a system with a fixed salary, paid holidays, paid transportation etc. We were on about 260,000 per month before tax. Now if someone has been at Gaba a while and built up a student base and is working the same hours as I did, under the present system they would be earning 310,000-380,000 after income tax depending on what pay rate they are on (the per lesson rate goes up if you attend seminars, do sales lessons etc).

Again I wonder if the union has the backing of the people actually working at Gaba.

[Glenski]

[ShioriEigoKyoushi]

Text deleted

[Apsara]

Many people don't stay at Gaba more than a year, sure. It works very well as a stopgap and part time job, so you get some transients- I did the same thing myself at one point. Equally though there are people who stay a lot longer.There were plenty of people on the higher "belts" when I was there, and I know some real Gaba veterans who have been there since I was a full timer (2002-2003). Most of them are on the highest per-lesson rate, and seem more than happy with their situation as they are earning far more than they would as ALTs for example.

Glenski, Gaba got in trouble over the visa thing under the previous owners, back in about 2005. New management, new policies- the way the place was run changed a lot after the place changed hands, and for the better. That is why you don't hear a lot of complaints about the place these days, unlike back in the early days, when management really seemed to be out to exploit its staff.

I went back to Gaba part time for a while in 2007 to fill in a gap in my employment for a few months, and I never heard anything about a union at that time. Nobody I know who still works there says they have been contacted by any union, so I'm not sure who those people are or how they are organised.

Anyway it will be interesting to see what comes out of it. Plenty of people are perfectly happy with the current system though. Gaba never said they were a fulltime employer that provided the usual benefits, so everybody who goes to work there knows what kind of system it is.

[gaijinalways]

Apsara posted

[Apsara]

When I was a full timer, I had full time benefits. The full time option was later scrapped, but prior to that I had gone onto the part time contract (late 2003-mid-2004), which did not come with benefits. My point was that there are people who have been working there since 2002 who are still there, in spite of the lack of usual benefits, so something must be keeping them there, and I'm guessing that it because they are happy with what they are currently earning, along with the flexible schedule.

I'm sure those people would be happy to have full time benefits as well as the amount they are currently earning, but not if it meant that their employer went bankrupt or had to cut per lesson rates to be able to afford those benefits.

[generalunionone]

Until this point many GABA members chose not to reveal their membership. As sub-contractors they did not have the protection of Trade Union Law to unionize. That has now been won and we expect membership to become more open. The Branch Chair is a teacher at Ginza who has always been very open about his membership and in fact testified against GABA in the Labor Commission case.

We are often provided teacher lists annonymously and have probably direct mailed these people about twice a year on average.

The GABA fight is far from over. We will now use the ruling with various government ministries and agencies to help win employee status and benefits. This Monday we will be meeting with shakai hoken and unemployment insurance officals to force an investigation of the company.