Part-time public workers on strike – Against discriminatory treatment

 

 “We are part-time public workers. Many of us have been unlawfully dismissed. Today, we are going on strike to protest such an injustice”. The strike was organized and carried out by the General Union of Public Workers in Tokyo (Tokyo Komu Kokyo Ippan) on November 28, 2016 in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Approximately eighty people joined the action in the winter cold. They demanded the repeal of termination of employment contracts, payment of unpaid wages and pay increases. The main speakers included former lecturers at the Tokyo Metropolitan Vocational Skills Development Center who were unfairly dismissed in the name of outsourcing to the private sector. They said, “No matter how hard we work, our wages are law, and our positions are unstable and unmotivating”. Their demonstrations revealed terrible treatments of “part-time and casual” government workers who make up half of the whole national and local government workforce. GOTO Michio, a sociologist, delivered a solidarity message, “This poverty in Japan largely attributes to weakened trade unions, as well as capitalists that do whatever they like. Let’s start with the revitalization of trade unions”. (M)

 Video(10minutes 51 seconds)

非正規の公務員がストライキで立ち上がる！～我慢できない差別待遇

「私たちは非正規の公務員です。不安定な雇用契約のために、不当な解雇が繰り返されています。私たちはそれを跳ね返すために今日ストライキで決起しました」。11月28日昼、そんな書き出しのチラシを配布しながら、都庁前で「公共一般労組」のストライキ集会が開催された。寒風のなか約80人が集まり、うたごえと怒りのトークが続いた。この日は、職業訓練校の民間委託に伴う不当解雇撤回闘争（中村祥子委員長のCAD争議）をメインに、各職場で抱えている雇い止め、残業未払い、賃金改善などの要求を掲げて集まった。「一生懸命働いても賃金が安く不安定で働きがいがない」。アピールでは、公務職場の半分を占める「非正規・非常勤」職員の待遇のひどい実態が次々に明らかにされた。連帯の挨拶で後藤道夫さんは「この国のすさまじい貧困の最大の原因は、労組の力が弱体化し資本が好き放題にやっていること。労組の力の再生から始めよう」と訴えた。（M）

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Kill the discrepancy in casual work contract〜Postal workers demand equality

 

Postal workers, truck drivers and subway vendors gathered on Nov. 6 in Tokyo calling to eliminate discrimination against casual, non-regular workers. The workers have each filed a lawsuit against their companies that treat them differently from regular, permanent employees, claiming it is a violation of Labor Contract Law Article 20, which stipulates that no worker be discriminated against if s/he performs the same job.

 Japan Post with the nation’s largest casual workforce of 190,000 people, which takes up about half of its total workforce, does not guarantee any paid sick leave, summer or winter holidays to non-regular workers. Working conditions are worse for casual, contractural workers, who get paid less even though they do the same job as the regular employees.

 “Even though we lost the district court case against Nagasawa trucking company, we should and can fight back,” said a labor lawyer, NATSUME Ichiro, cheering on the struggling unionists at the rally. Following the lawyer’s speech, the union members presented a skit that explained the discrimination that exists between regular and non-regular employees. It was entertaining, but as we laughed, we began to feel angry about how much casual workers are discriminated against. (By M) *Photo=Lawsuit plaintiffs  Youtube

こんなに違っていいのか～郵政「非正規差別なくせ」裁判 交流集会

 
非正規差別の是正を求めてたたかっている「郵政ユ ニオン」が、11月6日、東京・文京区民センターで「労働契約法 20条裁判の勝利をめざす交流集会」を開いた。郵政の職場は、非 正規の期間雇用社員がいまや約半分（19万人）を占めている。同 じ仕事でも処遇は正社員より劣悪で、賃金だけでなく正社員にはあ る有給の病気休暇や夏期・冬期休暇は、期間雇用社員にはない。 その是正を求めた「労働契約法20条」裁判が、いま山場を迎えて いる。集会の第一部では、棗一郎氏ら担当弁護士が報告し「長澤 運輸控訴審敗訴の逆風もあるが跳ね返していこう」と檄を飛ばし た。当該の原告たちは元気いっぱいで、差別の実態を「正社員と非 正規の会話」という形の寸劇で訴えた。あまりの待遇の違いに笑 いを誘ったが、観ているうちに「同じ仕事なのにこんなに違ってい いのか」とふつふつと怒りがわいてきた。（M）  

動画（寸劇 9 分）　＊写真＝裁判の原 告たち