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A Publication of the SUITE union
Vol. 1, No. 3 October 12, 1994
On October 3rd, the teachers were informed that they must vacate their offices by April 1, 1995.
We bring to your attention the fact that this is but the latest in a long line of actions designed to retroactively divest the teachers of their employment status. To illustrate , we use a parable:
Once there was a traveler on his way through an unfamiliar area. As he approached one certain town, he noticed that the trees all had arrows firmly embedded in their trunks. What is more, each arrow was in the very center of a bull's-eye.
As the traveler walked on he eventually came upon a villager. "Tell me of the marksman that lives in these parts. I would be honored to meet the archer who cannot help but make a bull's eye," he stated, pointing at one of the trees. The villager laughed good-naturedly. "Marksman? His aim is not quite that good. You see, he first shoots the arrow. After that, he carefully paints his target."
The relevant authorities are trying to whitewash the employment status of the Community College teachers.
In order to make these teachers appear to be other than employees of Sophia the authorities have attempted to remove all vestiges of employment status from the College workplace.
Here is a list of recent actions that have been taken in order to try to show that the teachers are not employees:
Personnel tried to change the teachers' salary payments from kyuryo to share.
Personnel tried to remove the Employee ID numbers from the teachers Employee IDs
The teachers were taken off the "Employee List" of the computerized payroll and given hand-printed paychecks (Union intervention stopped the Personnel Office's attempts 1,2 and 3 above)
Mr. Dowdy's pension was unilaterally canceled
The negotiating team says that the teachers have always been only "Guests" and never "Employees."
We must inform the relevant authorities: "It is too late to take away the employment status. Employees they are, and employees they will be. Furthermore, it is for the good of the school that we have employed, reliable and dedicated teachers, not temporary guests."
We must point out to those who are busy trying to paint over the valid Employment status "You are only making that status shine through all the stronger."
SUITE - Sophia University International Teachers and Employees Union - can
be reached in care of: NUGW (The National Union of General Workers)
3-21-7 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
phone: (03) 3434-0669 fax: (03) 3433-0334
SUITE Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 1 July 4, 1994
SUITE Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 2 October 1, 1994
SUITE Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 4 October 25, 1994
SUITE Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 5 November 10, 1994
SUITE Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 6 December 14, 1994
SUITE Newsletter
Volume 2, Number 1 July 4, 1995
The overview: Tokyo Observer article May 1995