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Foreign teacher unionists face ax

KYOTO (Kyodo) An Osaka labor union has filed a claim with a local
labor committee over threats by Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University to
fire four foreign teachers if they refuse to withdraw from union
activities.
The university told the four teachers on the phone to stop their
union activities or their employment contracts would be terminated,
according to the union's claim. The four distributed union flyers in
front of the school in June.

The General Union, based in Osaka, also filed a complaint against the
university at the labor standards inspection office in Kyoto,
accusing the school of setting no employment regulations for its
foreign teachers, the union said.

"Foreign teachers' contracts are terminated in three to five years at
Ritsumeikan University. It should create employment regulations so
they can work without anxiety," the union said in a statement.

The General Union has 560 members, about 90 percent of whom are
foreign nationals. Most are from English-speaking countries and work
in Japanese high schools, universities or companies that teach
English, the union said.

The Japan Times: July 9, 2005
(C) All rights reserved

[NATIONAL NEWS]
Foreign teacher unionists face ax

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050709a6.htm