Japan Press Weekly

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2015 November 25 - December 1 [LABOR]

Central labor commission condemns anti-union practice by Osaka City mayor

The Osaka City Office Workers’ Union, a member union of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), held a press conference at the city government office on November 26 to announce that the Central Labor Relations Commission (CLRC) condemned the forcible removal of union offices from the city hall by Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru as unfair labor practice.

The CLRC upheld the decision made in February last year by a regional labor commission ordering the city to sign a pledge to not repeat similar unfair labor acts.

The agency of the Labor Ministry pointed out that the city purposely ignored possible disadvantages the unions would suffer after being evicted from the city government office. Despite knowing that this would be highly probable, the city did not allow them to use space in the city office building, the central labor authority pointed out.

The authority acknowledged that Hashimoto’s removal of union offices was an unfair labor practice in violation of Article 7, Clause 3 of the Labor Union Act which stipulates that the employer shall not commit acts of controlling or interfering with the formation or management of a labor union by workers.

Takemura Hiroko, head of the Zenroren-affiliated Osaka municipal workers’ union, said, “I want the city to seriously respond to the CLRC order and issue a pledge to ensure that it will no longer allow such unfair labor practices to take place. I hope labor-management relations in Osaka will be restored to the established normal functions.”

Past related article:
> Labor Commission orders Osaka mayor to apologize to union [February 21, 2014]