Unions file claim with Tokyo labor office against JAL’s unfair labor practices

Japan Press Weekly

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Unions file claim with Tokyo labor office against JAL’s unfair labor practices

Flight crew members’ unions of Japan Airlines Corp. on December 8 filed a complaint with the Tokyo Metropolitan Labor Relations Commission urging the company and its state-backed bankruptcy administrator to end their unfair labor practices.

In the complaint, the JAL Flight Crew Union and the Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Union criticize JAL and its administrator, the state-run Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan (ETIC), for having sabotaged unions’ legal act of voting on the right to strike in protest against JAL’s forcible dismissal plan, which violates the Labor Union Law. The unions are demanding that JAL and the ETIC make a public apology to the unions and promise to stop the unfair labor practices.

In November, the two unions independently took a vote on whether to go on strike or not. An official of the ETIC on November 16 in a labor-management meeting threatened these unions by saying, “If you do not back down from insisting on the right to take a vote, we will cancel a 350 billion yen injection into the JAL’s rehabilitation plan.” JAL also hindered the unions’ members from voting for the right to strike.

Due to the interference from JAL and the ETIC, the JAL Flight Crew Union called off the vote. However, the Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Union decided to go on strike on December 24 and 25 with 90 percent of the vote supporting the call for a strike.

The Corporate Rehabilitation Act requires administrators to comply with the Labor Union Law.

- Akahata, December 9, 2010