Filipino trainee pressured to leave labor union by supervising body

They were subjected to regular physical and verbal abuse from their superiors, leading them to join the Kanagawa City Union in December 2016.

SOMEONE needs to be arrested for that.

But last April, AHM faxed the labor union a letter asking that the four withdraw from the union because the immigration bureau and the government-backed Japan International Training Cooperation Organization had advised that no companies would be willing to accept foreign interns who are unionized.

They don't want to accept foreign interns who are unionized? Why? No doubt so that they can abuse them freely. How about making it against the law to make them disclose whether or not they are unionized?

Do what you can to survive. In a generation of two many bosses will be foreigners. It's their last stand. If not you, the next guy(jin) will get the job. Same problem. Law is slow, especially when it has to pit national vs foreigner. That's true for all nascent democracies. Japan is still very xenophobic in certain areas, it's true, but also dying out. Gambate!

That's pretty shocking too, to join labor union means no job.

This trainee program has been around for around 25 years but still lack basic protection for trainee.

The authority start to compile the numbers, in 2016 work-related deaths in all industries 1.7 per 100,000 workers while for trainees ratio of work-related deaths is roughly 3.7 deaths per 100,000 trainees. Yes, more than twice normal figure. Of course this not include verbal and physical abuse on daily base nor injury that result from overwork that occur to those trainee.

Foreign trainee work deaths highlight safety, exploitation issues

https://japantoday.com/category/national/Foreign-trainee-work-deaths-highlight-safety-exploitation-issues

Another example of Japan's broken employment system.

Bully people until they leave and do what you want if your in charge because there are no consequences. This country has some of the worst working conditions and power harassment problems in the developed its pathetic and something needs to be done.to fix it, not next year or in ten.years but right now. If your a backwards thinking old man who just wants to hold onto his power and status because you have been working on the same place for thirty years you should be sacked on the spot.

It’s a blight on Japan that such employers can even exist.

Given that they do exist (one would hope this changes...), government has an important role, to take measures to ensure basic protections for potentially vulnerable workers.

Get to work, bureaucrats!