AMA/AUA I am an executive with Tozen Gaba Workers Union. We will be available to answer any questions you might have for 24 hours from 10PM tonight 11/13 to 10PM tomorrow.

28 comments

1. Misread the title and thought It was GABA back for round 2.

   In any case, how goes negotiations?

2. Glad to see you guys made this.

   Can you tell us your name, just so we know you’re real and not trolling?

3. Help us out here – are Gaba workers contractors or employees?

4. Mass walkout and do everything you can to disable their ability to repeatedly treat humans like complete garbage.

5. How can Gaba instructors join the Union?

6. Gaba’s having a great week lol.

7. I always wondered as to whether it is permissible to promote the Tozen Union within the LS staff rooms, with the intention of encouraging instructors to join. I am aware that such actions might not be favourably viewed by Gaba, but I would like to understand if this contravenes any established regulations.

8. It seems to me that the unions really started to have an upswing of successes in the last 5-7 years (compared to the early 2000s, for example, when you hear the horror stories of early NOVA).

   Would you say that this is accurate? If so, what factors would you say contributed to this?

9. You have to do better than that title to prove who you are, this clearly isn’t well thought out and you are someone who doesn’t know how an AMA works. Thank you, come again!

10. Not to do with GABA, but I’m a direct hire ALT who’s having a problem with the ALT coordinator not…..coordinating. it’s causing problems for us ALTs. Would you be able to help?

11. What are the union’s current demands?

12. I went to get my popcorn and came back to find… nothing? Are they having difficulty posting or did something go wrong?

13. Okay, here’s a question:

    I’ve heard that Gaba lawyers are on record telling an instructor that if they vomit and shit on themselves, they would be fined for it. Please tell me this is hyperbole?

14. Is the whole fining people thing real?

    Is it actually legal?

    If yes and yes, what circle of hell does Nova/Gaba come from?

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16. I Recently joined Gaba as an instructor,Couple of questions

    What percentage of active Gaba Instructors are part of the union? No actual numbers needed, just a ball park answer.

    Where is the union most active in giving updates and information regarding negotiations? I only ask because the Tozen Union website appears to be sparsly updated.

    In current negotiations, is Tozen seeking to challenge the Gyomu Itaku system?

17. Does Nova have a union, and if so are you in coordination with them? (I ask because I believe both companies are owned by the same holding company?)

18. Hi, I’m not a teacher but I see this sub crop up every once in a while. Honestly? From what I hear about the situation in the English teaching industry, **it sounds awful** what they are doing to y’all. It may not be my fight directly but what ways can someone like me help?

19. I worked at gaba yen years ago, after trying 5 us a week and making about 100k yen for the first month I changed to weekends only but was not getting enough customers even then, after getting only about 2 lessons per day on the weekend they said they can’t renew my contract if I don’t work more days and I said good but.
    I was already working 4days a week in another place and w just waiting to see how long it would take gaba to not precontract me when is scheduled only one day a week, usually on a Saturday.

    They didn’t care for one year basically, legit didn’t care, also my cost to go to the studio was almost the payment for one lesson, so if I only got one lesson that day cause no booking or people canceled I would go there to work for few for 40mins then leave.

    They will not change anything until 50% of more of they teachers mass quit, just quit and find other teaching jobs, there is no other way.

    Also I saw counselors getting verbally abused and crying almost every week but they also didn’t quit.

    Stop dreaming and start acting, best thing to do would be to find new jobs for teachers so they can quit asap.

    This asking for changes is an utter waste of time.

20. How can members of the General Union support the Tozen Union?

21. I’ve been teaching at GABA for almost a decade and have a reliable group of regulars who take my lessons. However, when we got pushed into the QII system in February with no other options presented to us until later, and now with this fine system being imported from Nova, I’ve decided to find a new job.

    I’ve been teaching some students for hundreds of lessons, double lessons every week for years, is it OK to tell them I’m leaving specifically because of these changes? Or would that get me into legal trouble with GABA? I’ve helped some students grow from level 2 up to level 8, and have developed some great relationships with them, so I feel it’s important they know why I’m leaving.

22. Signing up for it means being obligated to pay consumption tax even though the government says any contractor earning less than ¥10 million is tax exempt.

    I have two other contract/Gyomu Itaku jobs at other companies that do not require me to register as a qualified invoice issuer. If I did register for Gaba I would have to pay consumption tax at these other companies as well.

    Also, signing up for the invoice system is basically signing up clearly and definitively as a Gyomu Itaku freelancer – and an admission that you are, in fact, a contractor without the same rights as regular workers/rodosha.

23. Naturally, the contract will be amended so that this new system of fining instructors for being sick can be implemented. Couldn’t we all collectively just refuse to sign the amendment?

24. Is there a way to bring politicians or law makers into this discussion. Surely there are some that would sympathize and believe in bettering the teachers conditions. As many intend to make Japan their forever home, they are increasing the economy, population, and education in Japan.

25. Publicize this problem on an international level. The only reason why they had this option was because they can do it. No applications for work no problem.

26. Thanks for doing this, your answers have been reasonably concise and to the point. Solidarity and good luck to you guys.

27. When was the last time Tozen actually won a case that resulted in monetary compensation for their locals and resulted in better working conditions/pay/and fulltime contractual employment without repercussions?
    Also tell Germone and Louis to fuck off and every foreigner I meet, I tell them to stay away from that shithole Tozen.

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