Shouts of “Holidays for rest! Not for work!” echoed through the streets near Kanayama Station on Saturday morning, as roughly 20 ECC teachers walked out and picketed outside the company’s offices shouting for the company to meet their two demands.
General Union Branch Chair Kayleigh Venables said the company uses an “EQ Days” or “equalizer days” labor policy. Ms. Venables, a North Wales, UK native, said “the national holiday is off, but they (ECC) add the hours next month.” to teachers’ schedules.
The striking teachers are also demanding the company use a tax incentive policy developed by Prime Minister Kishida’s government last year to increase wages in Japan. According to Ms. Venables the teachers are demanding a four percent rise in their wages. “If they (ECC) invest in workers, the government gives the company a tax break.” said Ms. Venables.
ECC is an Osaka-based privately held corporation that mainly provides language education services with over 3,500 teachers on its staff mostly in Japan.
Fred Henley, Assistant General Secretary of General Union, the labor union the ECC teachers belong to, said that the union has “historically had a good relationship with ECC.” He added that the union “told ECC ahead about the planned strike, and it doesn’t have to be a fight.”
Former branch chair Kristine St. Amour Denis said “If they give us these demands the result would be we’d be back at work.”
Aichi Police came to inspect the striking teachers said they were acting on a noise complaint. Assistant General Secretary Masaya Kanekiyo was on hand and spoke with the police. Mr. Kanekiyo said the police were also called in previous strikes and said police request the strikers to be quiet and to not go on so long.
The workers finished their one hour and fifteen minute picketing and left the area at 11:00 a.m.