Yesterday was, without a doubt, a media triumph for Nambu, and our struggle for job security for members.
We’ve been trying for so long for this kind of media exposure, and the current Nova news frenzy gave us our opportuniy to make the public aware not only of the working conditions in Nova, but also in the whole of the eikaiwa industry, and in the job market in Japan.
At the news conference yesterday at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, TV crews from 8 different broadcasters attended, along with numerous journalists. We spoke about the current Nova dispute and about the common problems of foreign workers in Japan.
To Nova, in its current crises, we publically announced the offer of an olive branch, a special peace proposal, to help with the situation: a cessation for now of strike action, in exchange for guaranteed renewal of contracts when requested by teachers.
Following the press conference, a Nambu Nova branch delegation, with the President, the Vice-president, General Secretary, and the Kubikiri-usagi Nova Bunny, tailed by a Fuji TV crew, went to Nova’s Tokyo HQ in Shinjuku. The intention was to deliver the union’s special peace proposal for the dispute to tpge company’s Tokyo head office.
The TV crew were blocked at the door! Nova management refused to come out and talk. No surprises, huh?
However, the company’s behaviour was worse than that: after the union delegation agreed to meet Nova management without the media present, the manager in charge, Robert Vaughan hid and told his staff to say he’d gone home, even though three members of the delegation had seen him in the corridor.
Robert, don’t be afraid. We’re not carrying guns.
The delegation, having drunk tea, but insulted by Vaughan’s declining to come to meet them to accept their proposal, had no alternative than to go tell the waiting TV crew what had happened.
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