It is that time of year again: Time to fight for your rights.
In Japan, March and April mark the end of one school year and the beginning of another. And when that happens, dispatch companies like Interac, and others often use deceit and insincerity to rid themselves of something that they find problematic: pregnant teachers.
Pregnant teachers have rights, and dispatch companies are notorious for breaking the laws that protect them. Dispatch companies do this because they think that pregnant teachers and their families will not find out what their rights are, and thet even if they do find out, the pregnancy itself can mean that the cheated worker may not have time to deal with it. Dispatch companies also do this because they think they won’t get caught.
Here are a few points to keep in mind so that you can protect yourself should you find that you are pregnant in Japan.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare put together this overview in Japanese and English, and here we can look at some of the finer points.
Japanese:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000497322.pdf
English:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000497318.pdf
One of the most important parts of these publications, as far as dispatched teachers are concerned, is in section four of the PDF. See the second bullet point on the box on the right.
| For instance: if, for the following reasons | If you are treated like this, it would be illegal. |
|---|---|
| • Pregnancy or childbirth | • You were dismissed |
| • Taking time off work for health examinations during pregnancy | • Your contract was not renewed |
| • Taking time off for morning sickness or possible miscarriage | • You were forced to take a part-time position |
| • Taking leave before or after childbirth | • You had to take a pay cut |
| • Taking childcare Leave or caregiver leave | • You were transferred in a very unusual manner |
If your employer tries to tell you that they can't renew your contract because they need to have teachers that can finish their whole contract, they are telling you that they are going to break the law and cheat you out of your livelyhood and paid maternity leave.
You have options.
- At the bottom of these PDFs is a list of Employment / Equal Opportunity Divisions (Offices), Prefectural Labour Bureau. You can fight this on your own and you can probably win if you have collected enough evidence and have enough time to do this on your own.
- Many times, the point you realize that your employer is lying to you and cheating you out of your rights is a great time to join a union. Collectively, workers can accomplish more than individually and you can definitely find people in any union that will want to fight for the right of people to have children without losing their jobs and benefits.
Be sure to keep every positive review, every text with praise or guidance, and as much evidence as you can, in any format, so that you can disprove any lies that the company will throw at you once you report your employer for violations.
Good luck out there and take care of one another.
Solidarity.
by NetheriteArmorer