3,200 non-permanent employees at Tohoku University in danger of being terminated

Some 3,200 non-permanent employees at Tohoku University are facing a crisis: Their contract may be terminated.

 By the Amendments to the Labor Contract Law, in effect as of April in 2018, a worker who will have worked five years on the contract of fixed-term employment will have a right to apply for a permanent employment. The university authority that is reluctant to comply with the revised law has modified its working regulations and has made the rule unfairly more severe by imposing the 5-year limit and setting up renewal conditions as “the same level or more than full-time staffers.” If this keeps on, the 3,200 non-permanent employees will be terminated successively starting spring 2018. On Oct. 11, to put a stop to this, an urgent gathering was held at the congressional office building of the House of Councilors. Organizers of the gathering were non-permanent teachers’ union in Tohoku University,  Tokyo Part-time lLecturers Union  and Faculty and Staff Union of Japan Universities (Zendaikyo). Some 60 people, lawmakers, members of university unions and others, participated in it. (SASAKI Yumi)

東北大学・非正規職員3200人が雇い止 めの危機！～緊急集会開かれる

東北大学の非正規職員3200人が雇い止めの不安にさらされてい る。改正労働契約法により、2018年4月以降、有期雇用契約が5年 を超えた労働者には、本人の申し出だけで、無期雇用に転換する 権利が与えられることになった。これを嫌った東北大学は、就業 規則を変更して、労働契約の更新上限を5年に定め、これ以上の雇 用更新の条件を「常勤職員と同等以上」などと不当に厳格にし た。このままでは、非正規職員3200人が2018年春から順次雇い止 めに直面してしまう。こうした状況を阻止しようと、10月11日、 参議院議員会館で緊急集会が開かれた。主催は、東北非正規教職 員組合・首都圏大学非常勤講師組合・全国大学高専教職員組合 （全大教）。国会議員、大学労組関係者など60名が参加した。 （佐々木有美）

 ＊写真＝報告する東北非正規教職員組合 メンバー

Five Non-regular Canon Workers File a Legal Battle to Become Regular Workers

On June 3, five non-regular Canon workers filed a lawsuit against Canon Inc. at the Tokyo District Court in a bid to become recognised as regular employees at the company (see photo). From 2000 onwards, the company has kept changing the employment status of these employees from subcontracts to temporary contracts, and then fixed-term contracts. Despite the employees receiving instructions from hiring the dispatching company, they were doing the same kind of work as permanent employees. One of the plaintiffs Mr. Oono thought that ordinarily he should have been made permanent and wondered why his hirer was different from his other workmates. It made him feel contradictory and strange about the situation. Even though his feelings were mixed about his situation - unclear as to whether to feel sad or angry - he decided to continue to fight until his status as a permanent employee is recognised. (Written by Chie Matsumoto) Photo taken by Tsutomu Yoshioka.


キヤノン非正規労働者5名が正社員化もとめ提訴
　キヤノン非正規労働者組合宇都宮支部メンバー5名は6月3日、正社員としての地位確認を求め、東京地方裁判所にてキヤノン株式会社を提訴した（写真）。2000年から被告は、原告らの契約を請負労働者から派遣へ、そして請負からさらに期間従業員として、二転三転させてきた。しかしその中で原告ら5名は、正社員と区別のない働き方をし、指揮命令も派遣先会社（キヤノン）から受けている業務形態だった。原告の大野氏は、毎朝キヤノンに出社する何百人という同僚を横目に、「自分も従業員であるはずなのに、なぜ働く先が違うのか」という「矛盾と変な感覚」を覚えるという。「怒りか悲しさなのかわからない」複雑な気持ちを抱えながら、それでも「正社員の資格を勝ち取るまで闘い続ける」と決意を新たにした。（松元千枝） 写真（吉岡力）