February 2, 2011
Sakurai Hiroshi, 42, used to be a fixed-term worker at Honda Motor’s Tochigi Factory. Honda used him for 11 years by renewing his one-month contract about 100 times. He is now fighting in court against Honda, seeking a full-time regular position.
It was the end of 1997 when Sakurai became a fixed-term worker at the Honda factory. “My job assignment was exactly the same as what regular workers were doing,” recalled Sakurai. However, in November 2008, all 170 fixed-term workers at the Tochigi Factory were told that the company would terminate their contracts. Nationally, 4,300 fixed-term workers at Honda factories were to lose their jobs.
The carmaker was forcing Sakurai to leave the factory every year so that the company could disguise his employment as short-term and did not have to increase his wages. He was earning only half the yearly income of regular workers. Only a few fixed-term workers were able to be rehired as regular workers and young workers were quitting the factory one after another within a short span.
Sakurai had worked on holidays three times a month. He had sometimes worked weekends for six consecutive months. He had never complained about anything during the 11 years of service to Honda. He only took two paid day-offs during the whole time he was there. Sakurai said, “In order to have my contract renewed, I had to put up with it.”
In January 2009, flipping through a magazine, he saw an article about labor lawyers and their contact information was listed. He then made contact with the lawyers’ consultation desk.
The lawyers suggested that he contact the Tochigi Prefectural Federation of Trade Unions (Tochigi-Roren). For the first time in his life, Sakurai learned of collective bargaining as a means to solve labor disputes. For the whole following week, he thought about joining a union. What gave him the incentive to join was the existence of other fixed-term workers who were members of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU) Tochigi local branch. They also involved plaintiffs fighting in court against Isuzu Motors and Canon Inc. in Tochigi Prefecture. Sakurai decided to join the same union.
However, his collective bargaining sessions were not successful. Thus, in April 2009 he eventually filed a lawsuit against Honda with the Tokyo District Court. It has almost been two years in court but he is not alone. The plaintiffs of the Isuzu and Canon lawsuits come to encourage him at the trials each time.
Sakurai says, “I know this is hard because I’m fighting in court against a giant. I will continue the fight with the support of my fellow unionists.”
It was the end of 1997 when Sakurai became a fixed-term worker at the Honda factory. “My job assignment was exactly the same as what regular workers were doing,” recalled Sakurai. However, in November 2008, all 170 fixed-term workers at the Tochigi Factory were told that the company would terminate their contracts. Nationally, 4,300 fixed-term workers at Honda factories were to lose their jobs.
The carmaker was forcing Sakurai to leave the factory every year so that the company could disguise his employment as short-term and did not have to increase his wages. He was earning only half the yearly income of regular workers. Only a few fixed-term workers were able to be rehired as regular workers and young workers were quitting the factory one after another within a short span.
Sakurai had worked on holidays three times a month. He had sometimes worked weekends for six consecutive months. He had never complained about anything during the 11 years of service to Honda. He only took two paid day-offs during the whole time he was there. Sakurai said, “In order to have my contract renewed, I had to put up with it.”
In January 2009, flipping through a magazine, he saw an article about labor lawyers and their contact information was listed. He then made contact with the lawyers’ consultation desk.
The lawyers suggested that he contact the Tochigi Prefectural Federation of Trade Unions (Tochigi-Roren). For the first time in his life, Sakurai learned of collective bargaining as a means to solve labor disputes. For the whole following week, he thought about joining a union. What gave him the incentive to join was the existence of other fixed-term workers who were members of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU) Tochigi local branch. They also involved plaintiffs fighting in court against Isuzu Motors and Canon Inc. in Tochigi Prefecture. Sakurai decided to join the same union.
However, his collective bargaining sessions were not successful. Thus, in April 2009 he eventually filed a lawsuit against Honda with the Tokyo District Court. It has almost been two years in court but he is not alone. The plaintiffs of the Isuzu and Canon lawsuits come to encourage him at the trials each time.
Sakurai says, “I know this is hard because I’m fighting in court against a giant. I will continue the fight with the support of my fellow unionists.”
