Teachers at Interac, which provides English teachers to public and private primary schools in Japan, are on strike in an effort to secure decent pay and secure employment. While management have engaged in negotiating sessions with their workers’ union, TOZEN, school bosses have refused to budge on certain key demands. Faced with such intransigence, workers have begun a series of strikes. When bosses mistreat us, sometimes our only option is to hit them where it counts: the bottom line. The Interac teachers have our full support and solidarity.
Below the TEFL Workers’ Union has interviewed one of the striking teachers to find out more about the dispute.
Want to know more? Follow the TOZEN Interac branch at @unite_interac or have a look at their website: https://tokyogeneralunion.org/locals/tozen-alts/interac/
1. What’s the dispute about? What are the issues?
We are in dispute with Interac over all demands that have not yet been settled. Our core demands are for wage increases, basic safety equipment, and social insurance (for our members that don’t yet have it). We have other demands for issues such as rescinding disciplinary action, payment of unpaid head teacher wages, and a copy of teacher contracts in Japanese.
2. How have management responded so far?
We have been able to settle a number of our demands with Interac, but we have thirteen demands that we’ve not made any progress on. We hope management will see the light and make us good faith offers on our demands. We have made it clear to Interac that we are willing to compromise. Now it’s management’s turn to compromise.
3. How have you all prepared for the strike? What sort of support are you getting from the union? Are there other outside organizations who you’ve linked up with?
Before entering dispute, we set a dispute deadline. We gave Interac many chances to settle our outstanding demands. The company wouldn’t budge, so we started to strike and protest. Our Interac workers receive strike relief from Tozen and the local to help cover wages lost due to striking. Since entering dispute, Tozen has made ties with the Hokkaido ALT Union. HAU is a union comprised of Interac teachers in Northern Japan.
4. Any particular courageous or inspiring acts of solidarity that have happened over the course of the strike?
Since the dispute started, we’ve been lucky to have new Interac members join us. Our numbers have doubled! We started out with members from only one Interac company. Now we have members from three of Interac’s six companies. Whenever we hold public demos, Tozen members from other work places join us in solidarity. It’s really inspiring!
5. How can folks outside of Japan show support?
It would be great if you posted online statements of solidarity with Tozen Union and our Interac shop. It would also be helpful if you could publicly implore Interac to bargain with Tozen in good faith over wages and basic safety equipment.
6. Anything else you’d like folks to know?
With greater numbers we have more power. We need more of our colleagues at Interac across Japan to join us and help fight to make Interac a better company for all.
Additionally, as COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease and people can come to work in Japan again, we encourage any people looking to start a career in Japan to also join the union, regardless of what company you work for. Joining the union is a great way to meet like-minded people and find support in your workplace. It’s good that companies like Interac encourage people to move to Japan, but it’s very important to have advice from outside the company.