Support Seminar for New Affiliates held(8-9/5/2009)
 |
Seminar participants discuss solutions after sharing issues concerning working conditions and union management. |
 |
Each group presents the results of their discussions. |
On May 8-9 JICHIRO held the “3rd New Affiliates Support Seminar” for private corporation unions performing public services. At this seminar, the participants belonging to unions that had been set up from 6 months to 1 year previously, learned how to conduct labour/management negotiations independently.
Mr. Miyajima, Chair of the JICHIRO Council of Labor Unions for Private Corporations in Public Services (KOKYOMINKAN), opened the Seminar, commenting: “Within JICHIRO, our brothers and sisters in private corporations who are performing public services have been expanding worker organization, beyond the framework of occupation type, for more than 10 years. Private corporations in public services include jobs from every sector, including outsourced jobs in the sewage processing sector, the nursing care sector and so on. Even if their occupation type is different, the labour environment for many of these workers is the same. You formed a trade union in order to protect your workplace, so let’s use the union effectively. We also want you to learn about labour laws and collective bargaining during this seminar so you will be able to take this knowledge back and make use of it in your unions.”
The first session of the seminar was a group discussion on “issues in each union and possible solutions.” Some of the issues identified were: “unsure of where to begin with union activities” and “difficulties with balancing work and union activities.” From discussions with other participants as well as advice from instructors, solutions were formulated.
There were also lectures on the basic role of the trade union and how to promote the labour movement, as well as the role of the union leadership, the labour law system and how to write demand submissions and conduct negotiations.