Interesting to know legality of this....

[wangta]

A buddy's acquaintance just told me over a few beers (I had the beer, not him) that his school's doing a number on the teachers by 'offering them a new contract' that goes from Sept to end of December.

This is regardless of when their actual one yr contracts finish. I'd never heard of the school before but it has a no. of branches and I'd say judging from this and other things he told me that the scumbaggy behaviour rivals that of any school already known for it. How are you gonna accept your boss handing you a 'new contract' of only 4 months with no real notice and telling you it's so all the contracts can begin in Jan 1st?

I call bullshit on his company and think they are in breach of labor law. He doesn't want to say no to this shite as he thinks he's gonna get shown the door if he doesn't sign the sudden 4 month contract. Am I right and what's more advice I can give? Shit if people are accepting this these days in Japan they need to look for another job and fast.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

The company is legally obliged to maintain existing contracts.
If it can't do so, which is what I assume, then it can discuss alternatives with contract holders to come up with a mutually acceptable arrangement. If an agreement cannot be made, the worker can complain to the Labor Standards Bureau, which will back them, a union, which will do the same, or take legal recourse, which will eventually side with them following great expense of time and money, but the ultimate problem remains that if the company is unable to fulfill its side of the contract (ie., be earning enough money to maintain its business), it can just walk away and leave the worker fucked.

[legion]

If the company is sponsoring working visas immigration might be interested

When you hear these kinds of stories the best advice is to say leave that company and if that means leaving Japan so be it. If you cannot leave Japan talk to the Labor Standards Office.