600 people hold a rally to urge Nichia to carry out its promise

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

600 people hold a rally to urge Nichia to carry out its promise

About 600 union members and supporters on November 9 held a rally in Anan City, Tokushima Prefecture, to support the struggle of six former temporary workers who were laid off at the end of September. The six workers are demanding that the company offer them full-time positions instead of firing them.

The six, who were temporary workers at Nichia Corporation, the blue light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturer, are members of the All-Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU) Nichia Branch.

Nichia dismissed Shimamoto Makoto and five other workers, who are the whistleblowers of Nichia’s illegal labor practices in its treatment of temporary workers. They revealed that the company obliged temporary workers to work as “independent contractors” in order to evade the legal requirement that it must offer temporary workers full-time positions after three years of service.

JMIU Chair Ikuma Shigemi reported on the developments of the present issue and the deliberations taking place at the Tokushima Labor Relations Commission. “Justice is on the side of Nichia Branch members and their demand is a national demand. We shall win,” he said.

On behalf of the six members, Shimamoto said, “If we fail to win this struggle to force Nichia to end its abuse of temporary workers, there will be more temporary workers who are forced to endure such treatment. We will continue to struggle to end Nichia’s unfair labor practice so that the public will see the company with due respect.

Japanese Communist Party members of the House of Councilors Koike Akira and Nihi Sohei took part in the rally. JCP Chair Shii Kazuo, who took up Nishia’s case in the Diet, sent a message to participants.

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Ninety people who took part in the rally made representations to Nichia, the Tokushima Prefectural Government, the Tokushima Labor Bureau, and the Tokushima Labor Relations Commission to fulfill their responsibility to realize the employment of the six as full-time employees.

In 2006, Nichia arbitrarily sacked six temporary workers by breaking the promise that it would directly employ all 1,600 temporary workers.

In front of Nichia headquarters, the protesters spoke into a hand microphone to appeal to the public, holding a banner reading, “Stop Nichia’s unfair labor practice!” - Akahata, November 11, 2008