Employees organize union to demand back pay after company bankruptcy

Employees of a failed road construction company have formed a union to
struggle for back pay.

Tokyo-based Nisshin Road Pavement Company, which was listed in the Tokyo
Stock Exchange's second section, went bankrupt in August with a liability of
45.6 billion yen (about 380 million dollars), dismissing about 340 workers
without severance pay.

The company owed those workers about 2.5 billion yen, including severance
pay.

Fuji Bank was the company's main bank but it decided to not make efforts
to sustain Nisshin Road Pavement, thus abandoning its responsibility.

On September 29, Nisshin's employees, mainly middle managers, established
a union.

"This company has an anti-trade union environment, and there was a
negative reaction to our call for the establishment of a union," said
Shigezumi Mitsuhiro, the union's vice chair who has been plant manager.

But, about 220 workers, including those dismissed, have joined the union.

The union has decided to demand Fuji Bank write off loans to Nisshin in
order to secure back pay and jobs for those who lost jobs.

Takahara Seiji, chairman of the union and a former Nisshin branch office
manager, said, "We will join forces and fight to secure workers' rights. "
(end)