The is a labor union founded in 1991 and headquartered in Osaka, Japan. Membership is open to all nationalities and all workers. It has members working in trading companies, factories and restaurants but the majority of members are teachers and staff who are employed in language education at private conversation schools, high schools and universities in the Kansai and Chubu regions of Japan. Union members work at universities such as Ritsumeikan University, and language schools such as ECC, Berlitz and Gaba. Recent years have also seen the union launching major organizing drives among South American workers in Japan, along with Filipino workers.
As of the 2020 executive elections the union chair is Asari Toshiaki and general secretary is Dennis Tesolat who reverted to this position after six years as chair.
The General Union is under the umbrella of the National Union of General Workers, which is itself part of the National Trade Union Council (Zenrokyo) one of the three major trade union federations in Japan.
Founding of the union With the founding of the Osaka Zenrokyo (a local area affiliated to Zenrokyo, National Trade Union Council) on 2 February 1991, it was decided that a general union type union was necessary to help both individual workers and groups of otherwise unorganized workers deal with their employment problems.
On 12 June 1991, the General Union was founded at a meeting at Apio Osaka. During the preparatory period prior to the founding the General Union had already organized a union branch at ELC Junior among female Japanese teachers. In May, the union's first foreign member had joined from HAL English School regarding a dispute with wages. By its founding the General Union had already started to establish itself among language school teachers and foreign language teachers.
During its first year the union also became involved with study groups for civil servants' employment rights, and established links with other immigrant groups namely Asian Friends (a joint employment problems hotline was run on 2 and 3 September) and with RINK (Rights of Immigrants Network in Kansai) in which the General Union was a founding organization.
While the union's attempts to establish itself among civil servants did not bear fruit, the union's work with foreign language teachers continued to expand. In 1991, the union also dealt with employment problems at Neverland English School (paid holidays, unpaid wages), OIC (Oxford), and IES (International Educational Services).
Early history Believing that there was a need for a larger union presence in English language schools the General Union held two public meetings for foreign teachers. On 23 March 1992 the first meeting signed up 60 new members and was reported widely in the press.
1992 also brought the first non-English speaking foreign workers to the union. The union represented Filipino workers at Tanaka Metal Works and Brazilian dispatch workers in Gunma at Takechi Rubber.
The General Union's first branch representing foreign university teachers was founded at Hannan University. The union's intervention prevented the university from lowering the per class rate for teachers.
In what would become a precursor to the union's campaigns over social insurance in the late 1990s and throughout 2000, the union held a seminar titled, "Social Insurance and Tax for foreigners" on 8 November 1992.
A strike winning two months' bonus at ELC Junior on 17 July 1992 also marked the union's first strike.
In 1993 the GU's first major language school branches were formed. Union members participated in the 1993 Shunto. One picketed employer was IES regarding a Canadian English teacher who was dismissed.
By the end of August the union claimed 100 members and had four workplace branches. One branch consisted of foreign instructors working for Interac. The Interac Branch was formed in May and by August had already gone on strike against unfair labour practices regarding the dismissal of a union member. The company later withdrew the dismissal and the strike was won. This first strike at Interac would mark the beginning of a long dispute between the union and the company and would give the union its first major nationwide coverage on prime time television and newspapers.
By the end of 1993 the union claimed 140 members, almost half of whom were Japanese, and two more language school branches; Osaka YMCA and Berlitz.
1994 saw the bankruptcies of two language schools in Japan. On 25 March Attony went bankrupt and teachers formed a General Union branch in order to deal with their lost wages. The General Union's experience with Attony was then used to help teachers at Bilingual which went bankrupt on 25 July. These were the first of more bankruptcies that would follow in the 90s and ending with the major NOVA bankruptcy in 2007.
Another major event of 1994 in the language teaching industry was the September arrest of a NOVA teacher for possession of marijuana. This led the school to demand the drug testing of all its foreign employees. On 6 September, the General Union NOVA branch was declared to the company. Union members refused to be drug tested which led to the 18 September visit by NOVA executive officer, Anders Lundqvist, to apologize for the company's policy. The policy though abandoned would lead to later conflict as the company refused to remove the drug testing stipulation from the employment contract.
The General Union founded more union branches in this year. On 17 May the union's Nichibei Eigo Gakuin branch was formed at its first collective agreement was secured. In the university sector the General Union started its long battle against contract renewal limits. On 31 March a union member was fired by Osaka Gakuin University after three-year contract limits were opposed. The union's battle went to the Supreme Court of Japan and was featured in a Newsweek article. Seven teachers at Otemon Gakuin University also joined the university and formed a branch to fight contract renewals. The union was able to save all the members' jobs.
GEOS - First strikes at national language school chain In mid 1995 union members at GEOS started organising a union branch. The branch was declared to the company on 7 November 1995.
Union's campaign to win health and pension rights for foreign workers Due to pressure from the General Union, in March 2005, the Japanese Government's Social Insurance Agency began to investigate English language schools in Japan for non-payment of . In general, non-enrollment of full-time employees is illegal in Japan—the Health Insurance Law and Employees' Pension Law stipulate that companies must enroll all workers who have been in Japan for over two months in both the health insurance and pension systems, regardless of nationality. Shakai Hoken cover for employees also includes sickness and injury allowance. The burden of payment is split between employer and employee, with each paying about half the monthly premium amount.Brophy, Barry English schools face huge insurance probe April 12, 2005 Retrieved June 18, 2014
The General Union (Osaka) has official consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).United Nations website ECOSOC Decision 2005/237 Retrieved June 18, 2014
Shakai Hoken lawsuit A GU member working a 29.5-hour-per-week contract at an ALT dispatch agency requested the Japan Pension Service to enroll them in shakai hoken (health insurance and pension) after their company refused to do so. The Japan Pension Service has a memo which states that workers who work three-quarters of a full-time schedule should be enrolled in shakai hoken. The JPS has applied this internal bureaucratic guideline to avoid enrolling workers, forcing the workers to pay such costs by themselves. The JPS also refused to enroll them citing the three-quarter guideline. The member, with the support of the GU, has now sued the JPS for negligence in not following the Health Insurance Law and the Employees' Pension Law. The first hearing was held in the Tokyo District Court on April 13, 2012.General Union Voice General Union Voice Summer 2012 Retrieved June 18, 2014
On March 20, 2015, the court ruled that there was no law that denied shakai hoken enrolment based on working hours, and that the worker in question had in any case been working over the limit for mandatory enrolment so it was illegal that he was not enrolled at that the government had turned down the request for enrolment.General Union website General Union vs Gov’t of Japan health and pension insurance ruling set for 20 March Retrieved March 25, 2015General Union website GU court victory against gov't over insurance to have major impact Retrieved March 25, 2015
Protecting workers from Sexual Harassment After a number of incidents where union members were harassed by students in their workplaces, in 2013 the union appointed both male and female sexual harassment officers to be a contact point for those who have suffered sexual harassment.General Union website Union Appoints Sexual Harassment Officers November 1, 2013 Retrieved June 18, 2014
Structure of the union The general union consists of three main areas, the Industrial and Commercial Sector, the Schools and Colleges Sector, and the Private Language Industry Sector.
Industrial and Commercial Sector This area of the GU is focused on workers in factories and other industrial employment. It consists of the General Branch, the South American Branch, and the Shinobu Foods Branch. The South American branch is currently active at many workplaces including Fuso and Daisen Kosakusho.
Schools and Colleges Sector This area of the GU is focused on workers employed in schools and universities. The GU has members at many workplaces, including Ashiya Gakuen High School,General Union website Ashiya Gakuen teachers organize to protect their rights Retrieved June 18, 2014 Himeji Dokkyo University, Kansai Gaidai University,General Union website New union branches at Ashiya Gakuen High & Kansai Gaidai Retrieved June 18, 2014 Kun'ei High School,General Union website Kun'ei High School teachers win Health and Pension Rights Retrieved June 18, 2014 Osaka Gaigo,General Union website General Union Osaka Gaigo Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 Ritsumeikan University,General Union website General Union Ritsumeikan Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 Kobe Shoin Women's University,General Union website Kobe Shoin Women's University Retrieved June 18, 2014 and Osaka University.General Union website Osaka U: Massive cuts to come for part-timers Retrieved June 18, 2014
Private Language Industry This area of the GU is focused on the teaching of language in the private sector, including workers at eikaiwas and working as ALTs. Amongst other companies it has members at Berlitz Japan,General Union website General Union Berlitz Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 Interac,General Union website General Union Interac Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 Gaba,General Union website General Union Gaba Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 Nova,General Union website General Union Nova Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 OTC, Epion,General Union website General Union Epion Mabuchi Branch Epion Mabuchi支部 Retrieved June 18, 2014 the British Council,General Union website General Union British Council website Retrieved June 18, 2014 ECC,General Union website General Union ECC Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014 Panasonic Excel International, Coco JukuGeneral Union website Working at Cocojuku? Retrieved June 18, 2014 and Peppy Kids Club.General Union website General Union Peppy Kids Club Branch Retrieved June 18, 2014
Berlitz branch