[floatr][/floatr]The Chunichi Shimbun reports (Japanese) that around 60 foreign workers at auto parts maker Hikari Seiko in Kuwana City held a protest against the company. Hikari has around 320 Brazilian workers and many were on assignment from a temporary worker agency. This drew a rebuke from the local labour bureau who instructed the company to change the contract status for a substantial number because they were effectively full-time employees. However, Hikari Seiko has now responded by terminating the contracts of over 88 employees. Many workers are attached to a labour union which has demanded that the company withdraw the termination. The company says that it has put some workers on full-time contracts but needs temporary workers because of the volatile nature of the business. However, the original labour bureau instruction was handed down because the company had kept maintained a substantial number of workers in continuous work which qualified them for full-time status. The Yomiuri has details of a similar case involving Osaka machinery maker Kubota. The local union is supporting Chinese and Brazilian workers who are suing the company.

There's still a mentality that this is OK. I see many similar instances of this still to come.

Aren't the rights to organize and strike guaranteed in Japanese law? If so, they could probably(should probably?) win some redress in court. I hope so anyway.

"Foreign Workers Are Revolting"

what is it that's so revolting about them?

[quote="james"]"Foreign Workers Are Revolting"

what is it that's so revolting about them? ]

We smell like butter.

Iraira wrote:We smell like butter.

Remember that!

The Yomiuri report in English:

About 10 foreign contract employees of major machinery manufacturer Kubota Corp. have decided to file a group lawsuit against the company claiming their employment status is unjustifiable and the company should continue to employ them after their contract expires next April, it has been learned. In February 2006, the Osaka-based firm was warned that factory workers it used from staffing agencies were under the company's direct control, effectively making them equal to dispatch workers. This type of practice is illegal. Kubota has since reviewed its employment system. In October 2006, the company began signing staffing agency-provided workers to dispatch worker contracts. In April 2007, the company decided to directly hire the workers as contract employees. That contract expires in April 2009.

Workers from the Kubota factory held a march in central Osaka on Friday to protest job losses.

Mulboyne wrote:

Workers from the Kubota factory held a march in central Osaka on Friday to protest job losses.

Is it me or is there only about 15 people in the picture?

wuchan wrote:Is it me or is there only about 15 people in the picture?

Apparently, there were around a 100 on the day.