TOZEN UNION (ZENKOKU IPPAN TOKYO GENERAL UNION)
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (全国一般東京ゼネラルユニオン)
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (Tozen, 東ゼン) is as its name suggests, a union which does not restrict membership to those working in any one industry, trade or workplace.
The union traces its origins back to 1956; almost as long as the history of legalized organized labour in Japan.
Nearly all of Tokyo General Union’s members are foreign nationals most working in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures. Tozen is one of only three or four general unions in the Tokyo area which has a large number of foreign workers.
Although the Tokyo General Union doesn’t restrict membership, it is true to say that it has developed areas of concentration and specialization. Members generally are employed in the banking, foreign language teaching, and publishing industry.
The smallest branch has just three members; while the largest has over 30. The branches oversee the day-to-day affairs of the union at each workplace. Each chapter negotiates with the employers regarding annual salary working conditions. It is only when a chapter encounters trouble or needs special assistance that the staff of the Tokyo General Union central office step in.
Chapter unions are brought together in a number of ways. Firstly, the Executive Committee of Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union has about twenty positions and members of many different chapters are well represented. Second, there are regular scheduled meetings for representatives of all chapters to come together. Newsletters, postal mailouts, e-mailings and Internet web pages are other ways in which information and experiences are shared. There are also plenty of social events organised by the union, where members of different branches can meet.
Tozen is a fighting union! That means that the union is willing to engage in industrial action in pursuit of its aims. In the case of dispute cases, the union wlll use any and all legal means at its disposal (such as engaging in strikes, rallies and leafletings, filing injunctions and dispute cases at the Labour Commission and Tokyo District Court), to achieve victory. This cannot be said of all unions in Japan, however.
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (Tozen, 東ゼン) is as its name suggests, a union which does not restrict membership to those working in any one industry, trade or workplace.
The union traces its origins back to 1956; almost as long as the history of legalized organized labour in Japan.
Nearly all of Tokyo General Union’s members are foreign nationals most working in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures. Tozen is one of only three or four general unions in the Tokyo area which has a large number of foreign workers.
Although the Tokyo General Union doesn’t restrict membership, it is true to say that it has developed areas of concentration and specialization. Members generally are employed in the banking, foreign language teaching, and publishing industry.
The smallest branch has just three members; while the largest has over 30. The branches oversee the day-to-day affairs of the union at each workplace. Each chapter negotiates with the employers regarding annual salary working conditions. It is only when a chapter encounters trouble or needs special assistance that the staff of the Tokyo General Union central office step in.
Chapter unions are brought together in a number of ways. Firstly, the Executive Committee of Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union has about twenty positions and members of many different chapters are well represented. Second, there are regular scheduled meetings for representatives of all chapters to come together. Newsletters, postal mailouts, e-mailings and Internet web pages are other ways in which information and experiences are shared. There are also plenty of social events organised by the union, where members of different branches can meet.
Tozen is a fighting union! That means that the union is willing to engage in industrial action in pursuit of its aims. In the case of dispute cases, the union wlll use any and all legal means at its disposal (such as engaging in strikes, rallies and leafletings, filing injunctions and dispute cases at the Labour Commission and Tokyo District Court), to achieve victory. This cannot be said of all unions in Japan, however.