This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sparkzilla (talk | contribs) at 23:17, 26 October 2006 (Rv to previous. See talk about unverified and false claims. This is not a pormotional page for the union.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:17, 26 October 2006 by Sparkzilla (talk | contribs) (Rv to previous. See talk about unverified and false claims. This is not a pormotional page for the union.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) is the largest trade union for foreign and migrant workers in Japan with offices in Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo. The union has a history almost as long as that of legalized organised labour in Japan.
The union claims a membership numbering several thousand workers throughout Japan, and that about a quarter of these members are foreign nationals. According to the union, most non-Japanese members are employed in Eikaiwa (English-language teaching in Japan) and English language newspapers, while many Japanese members are employed in the publishing industry. NUGW represents branch unions at dozens of English language schools including Nova, GEOS, Berlitz, ECC and Interac.
Activities
The union engages in strikes, rallies and leafletings, filing injunctions and arguing cases at the Labour Commission and Tokyo District Court on issues such as the non-enrollment of employees into National Health Insurance (shakai hoken), illegal outsourcing of Assistant Language Teachers by public schools (gyomu itaku), and unfair dismissals due to one-year contracts.
Representatives of the National Union of General Workers Tokyo South have served as reporters to the United Nations rapporteur on the Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination; the General Union (Osaka) has official consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Criticisms
The union has been criticized for its aggressive militancy in pursuing the Shakai Hoken (National Health Insurance) issue. An editorial in Metropolis argued that the union's actions would actually harm the majority of teachers and force the wider community of foreigners working in Japan to pay high premiums with less coverage than alternative, private, schemes. The article argued that allowing foreigners to opt out of the insurance scheme was a benefit to all but a small number of long-term employees.
The actual number of the union's members is disputed. The union itself does not publicly disclose the number.