Job Discussion Forums

[stillnosheep]

Double post

[stillnosheep]

Governments set the rules. Unfortunately many eikaiwa's ignore them as they know that most EFL teachers are unaware of their legal rights.

Unions tend both to be better clued up on the law and previous court judgements regarding illegal clauses in contracts and to be in a better position to take on an employer who refuses to stick to the rules, realtive to an individual EFL teacher who may neither be aware of the law, nor the judgements, nor have the means or langauge skills neccessary to go to court in case of dispute.

By definition they are an interest group whos main interest is to protect and expand the rights of their members. That is their role and purpose in a democratic society.

Goverments are like boards of control, they set the rules; Judges are like referees, their job is to ensure obedience to the rules. Unfortunately Judges cannot act until evidence of rule-breaking is presented to them in the manner prescribed by the board of control. Unions can remind illegal fighters that they have such means of bringing rule-breaking to the judges' attention.

That's one reason why they are of so much use in industries such as the Japanese eikaiwa industry which contain many foreign employees uncertain of what the legal rules are, and who may well find it difficult, alone, to convince their employers to stick to them.

Which is one reason why EFL teachers in Japan would be well advised to join a union. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity of pointing this out.

[Doglover]

[Jazz1975]

How was the march?

[JimDunlop2]

Jazz: Great! I just got home so I'm pretty tired but in the next day or two I'll post up some pictures!

Too bad I didn't get to meet any Dave's people there but I did get to talk to some other ppl which was great!

I got to meet and go for beer with Debito Arudo. That was pretty cool. He's a nice guy to talk to.

Cheers,

JD

[Sour Grape]

[JimDunlop2]

I thought I answered that. Were my 10 reasons insufficient? Or did you not read through the various responses in this thread?

[Sour Grape]

I wanted some input from the union pushers on what the point was. But since you asked, nothing you wrote seemed likely to me to politicise the locals, as angry soba put it, and more than the St Patrick's day parade will.

But I'm glad you had fun.

[JimDunlop2]

Yeah, but Japan being the way it is, nothing short of a nuclear war will politicize the locals... And even then you may have some trouble.

Fact of the matter is -- we try our best with the resources we've got and hopefully somewhere along the way people will realize the value of change.

Why else would I have the same students ask me week after week after week after week after week, "What is the best way to learn English?" I give an answer each an every time, they nod their heads, smile and say that's good advice. But so far, I've had only 2 students (to my knowledge) ever follow my advice. As far as I know, their English IS improving for what I've told them...

Japanese people seem to be very resilient to a lot of things, including learning from past mistakes.
[/b]

[wangtesol]

And here is the March in March as reported in Asahi Shimbun, March 6

400 migrant workers (including us English teachers) turn out to launch the civil rights movement in Japan.

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0305/TKY200603050119.html

2006年03月05日18時45分
外国人４００人が一斉デモ　差別撤廃と安定雇用求める

外国人に安定した雇用と差別撤廃を求めたデモ「マーチ・イン・マーチ」が５日、東京、大阪、名古屋、福岡で一斉にあった。ヒンディー語、スペイン語などで書かれた、むしろばたを掲げ、２０カ国以上の約４００人が「外国人を使い捨てにするな」などと訴えた。

　東京では、新宿区の柏木公園に大学や英会話学校で教える欧米人や、自動車や弁当工場で働くブラジル人、東南アジア出身者ら約３００人が集まった。同公園から約１キロを行進した。

　主催者が６０年代の米国で、黒人に対する差別撤廃を求め闘ったことにならい「外国人差別を無くすため、日本でも市民権運動を始めることを宣言する」とあいさつ。

　不安定な賃金で、明日の雇用が不安な状態なのは、外国人労働者も派遣、契約社員などで働く日本人も同じで「協力して頑張ろう」と訴えた。外国人を雇う雇用主の中には、社会保険に加入させない例が多く、「社会保険に入れて」とも求めた。

　昨年７月に、日本での人種差別の実態を調査するため、国連人権委員会の特別報告者が日本を公式訪問。中国、韓国出身者のほか、南米、東南アジアなどからの移住労働者らに様々な差別があるとして、日本政府に外国人差別を禁止する法を制定することなどを求める内容の報告書を、国連に提出している。

[Jazz1975]

[JimDunlop2]

Jazz: Actually I mind you asking very much! No, just kidding. Thanks for reminding me. I'll do that this evening yet. I just haven't decided whether it should be posted in this thread or in a new one....

wang: Thanks for the link/info on the Japanese news article. I was wondering whether it was carried by any of the newspapers.

gimp: Although it would have been nice if the English newspapers had reported on it too, our main concern IS really for the Japanese papers to report on it -- the people in power who are in a position to change and make new legislations are mostly Japanese. It's no accident that most of the protest signs and chants were in Japanese.

[D.O.S.]

In my years of experience in the EFL business I have found that most Western 'teachers' in foreign countries (whether they are 'gaijin', gweilo, waegook or whatever) who take an anti-teacher rights line have a personal agenda. They are usually franchise owners or people in management of some commercial chain.

[email protected], I have found your comments here to be dripping with sarcasm and your message to be "don't waste your time" with this union "stuff."

Please inform us what you actually do in Japan.

Thank you.

[JimDunlop2]

Alright, in case you haven't seen the new thread for the photos I took during the march, here is a cross-link to it:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=36083

A word of caution: if you're on a slow Internet connection it may take a little while to load.

Enjoy!

JD

[[email protected]]

I don't know why my background matters- the issues are what are important. A few union organizers regularly write here. So what. No one asks about their background, nor should they.

Anyway, I am neither a school owner nor a manager of any type- just an ordinary ESL teacher with a few years experience teaching here in Japan.

Call me anti-union if you wish- actually that is a compliment.

Teachers' unions here are just another greedy interest group- no better than the Chamber of Commerce. They spend most of their time and money defending incomptent teachers, many of whom only join a union in a desperate attempt to save themselves from being fired for doing a lousy job. Teacher's unions care not at all for quality of education- only about higher salaries for less work and protecting their members' jobs at any cost.

I have personally witnessed union lawyers and organizers almost drive a couple of small honest eikawa owners out of business. Justice and truth mattered nothing to these bullies.

Sure there are some rotten school owners in Japan but I've seen the other side too. Often it is worse.

As I have pointed out before, less than one percent of teachers in Japan have bothered to join a union. Ain't freedom of choice wonderful!