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The Freeter Union is an individual membership union.
It does not matter how you work, anyone can join.
Freeters are included, but so are others.
Compared to other individual membership unions,
there are many people working on non-regular contracts.
So-called “precariato”, those whose jobs and survival became unstable
due to the neoliberal economy from the core.
People ask us what are Freeters. I guess they like the word Freeters.
But it is really hard to explain what is it about.
We define it ourselves most of the times in terms of
the contracts being in behalf of the employers.
That is often we work as temporary workers,
independent contractors and you are more or less working in a
corporate environment like any other employee, but your contract is
a temporary one, meaning you have no rights what so ever.
But then again, there are other opinions saying that
we don't really want to define ourselves
in terms of our contracts with our employers.
That is not where we want to begin from.
It's more about our entire lifes, how the changes that
are taking place since the 1990ies in Japan are affecting us.
The question is who are the Freeter?
A lot of us are people who just refuse to enter
more into the traditional cooperations.
It's very difficult to try to explain where we stand.
in relation to these older more secure pasts.
Because a lot of us didn't choose it and a lot of us
refuse to join, a lot of us where part of a cooperation or
had more secure jobs, but dropped out.
As we chose more the alternative lifes
the whole landscape, the whole employment process of cooperations
sort of changed over the last ten years.
So what was more like voluntary dropping out or voluntary freelancing
became more and more difficult to the point that our daily lifes
became pretty much unliveable.
Not to say they're all the same (Mainstream Unions)
but separate unions developed for each company throughout the post-war era,
company unions in short.
Perhaps out of fear that if the company were
to decline the union would follow its fate,
interests of the company could take priority over workers interests.
With some unions being exceptions, of course.
As an union for individual workers we are able to focus
on the interests of our members.
But this is the advantage of all individual membership unions.
What makes the Freeter Union unique among unions
with a similar structure is ...
There is something unsettled? This is my impression. How should I say?
Tight dicipline and control isn't our style. Like...
Even with unions there could be top-down tendancies.
Like someone could be patronizing to others.
These kinds of unions could still work for its membership,
but there is already a power structure within the union.
You can't criticize or raise questions towards this person.
The freeter union isn't like that, is it?
Let's see: I sense that the people present at the time
when the freeter union became active in labor disputes
and those who understood its importance and joined later,
had been involved in movements in one way or another.
So that was around 2006 and 2007.
Up til then, that was the 3rd May Day, that this organisation coordinated,
but it has always just been about May Day.
There were not really other activities on a daily basis.
In 2006, the police arrested the DJ of the Sound Car and 2 demonstrators
After this repression many of the members spread and so
at the end, there were only three or four members left.
And a new movement came out of the repression.
And that's the Freeter Movement.
The reason why I'm a member of the Freeter Union
that before I have also organised demos against war and poverty
and the Freeter Union did the same.
Why I went to the Freeter Union?
I have organised a Demo against the war in Iraq and the
Freeter had that demo therefore, coincidentally, I was taking part.
After the arrest of a person
I worked for his release and then I became a member.
From having observed oppression within movements at close hand like
macho leadership and its destructive effects,
efforts are being made constantly to ensure
it does not happen in this union.
There is a broad consensus to leave that culture out.
It seems to go without saying.
Due to extremely insecure jobs and lives, while having little or no savings,
members are critically effected by 'dry periods'.
It could mean not being able to pay rent and
forced out of home within a short period of time.
There are hurdles to applying for welfare which require assistance.
So the union is more then a work-centered association.
Sharing a will to life and survival and the need for each other.
in defending multiple aspects of our livelihoods is also characteristic of the Freeter Union.
I am working on the problem of living space, because
at the end of last year (2008) a lot of temp workers were fired.
How can the problem of unemployment be solved quickly?
Since this March (2009) we are building up the Freedom and Survival House.
So, we thought let's find suitable housing to make into a shelter,
and create minimaly exploitive workplaces together
for when there is no work.
We're initiating these kinds of projects right now.
Spider TV 1 Interview with residents
It does look a bit dirty,
but in general things are fine.
This is the room for materials and tools.
And later there will be a room, too.
That is the room of the Indy Union. And I am from the Movie Union.
Vegetable City Narita Farmer's Market
Making Mochi at New Year
The current Labor Union Law differs from e.g. the U.S.
According to the code employers must hold negotiations
if there is one member from the union at the workplace.
You always say soon, but then nothing happens.
Do you understand?
After deciding, the next negotiations will be held on the 23rd of October.
Hey, you are always making suggestions for negotiations
but nothing concrete.
You are not doing anything and Mr. K is just talking rubbish.
Do you betray us?
We don't betray you at all.
Why are you not answering then?
You only say, that you are talking to each other and
decide, if you are going to answer.
Are you a board member?
Your colleagues are saying, that Mr. K
has changed the date of the negotiation. Is that true?
I haven't heard about that.
Some employers do not admit their mistakes right away.
In which case we take action in front of their business
with many union members present to add pressure.
The employers will understand that the union is not to be taken lightly
and be ready to negotiate or settle.
Finally there is the rodo iinnkai, like a labor relations board.
It is a municipal government organization that regulates
according to the Labor Union Law.
A company might just choose to flee.
In which case we take this next stage
of taking direct action to the company.
And you see, this is 2 hours from Tokyo
but that happens a lot, where a person might be
working in Tokyo and the manager or the president
or the owner of the business is living 2 hours out of Tokyo.
In which case we would make the trip directly to their homes.
And make it clear that we are not going away.
And that there is no use in prolonging the process,
that what they are doing is clearly illegal and
make it clear, that going to court or hiring lawyers
isn't going to be a solution for them.
After direct actions we have even other steps.
That's when we come with the megaphones,
and we also publizes everything on the internet.
And also a lot of us were working in just NPOs
Labour Unions or Independent Publishers sort of part of the left,
whose employment practices were horrible, but the
other mainstream unions wouldn't take on their cases.
So a lot of people working in non-traditional work also came
to us and we negotiated with an NPO or an alternative political party
e.g. like the Okinawa Independence Party.
And we treat them as any other employer.
There he is! Long time no see!
Hello! I am here to claim negotiations.
We are claiming negotiations. Mr. Yaara!
Mister Yaara!
Hello? Why can't you meet with us?
Don't you refuse the negotiations.
Administration problems? With you?
No! This is simply refusing to negotiate.
Shut up and come out now!
We want to negotiate with you, Mr. Yara.
Mr. Yara, come out! We want to negotiate.
We are from the General Freeter Union! Good day!
Today we are here to negotiate with the Manager of Alice's T-Shirt-Center
Yara, Chosuke.
Comrades, let's make the first chant!
Chant! Yes! Chant! Yes!
Yara, Chosuke should negotiate with us.
Alice's T-Shirt-Center Yara Chosuke should negotiate with us.
We are fighting together! Until we will win!
Fight! We will make it!
Many of the independent membership unions have paid staff.
The Freeter Union is the only union we're on the few unions
where we are all volunteers and not professionals.
And in these unions it would be that each paid union staff
has somewhere between 30 to 50 disputes, cases at any time.
The person who joined the union or has scribed in to would go
with the Union staff, they work one on one and go to negotiations
with just the two people, the aggrieved and the union staff.
Whereas for here, pretty much everyone's a volunteer for each dispute
and each individual case, you have a turnout of like seven people.
And that's what makes this union pretty special.
In that way we follow in the footsteps of the struggles of like many
parttime female workers, because of course they were the ones, who
had been fighting that for a long time, being considered dependent,
and not receiving any benefits, being paid incredibly low wages
for long hours and not really being considered a worker
by any of the unions.
So we are not really new.
We are just continuing something that other groups have always been doing.
Especially female workers.
There has been criticism that the whole issue is sort of sexist, because
that has been the norm. It has always been normal for women and then
as soon as men begin to make these wages or work under these conditions
suddenly the media is exploding: What's wrong with this world?
Or something like that.
The freeter union website has a form for work related problems.
First a person could contact us by email.
People describe their problems in detail and send them in.
Also there are certain hours for telephone consultations,
twice every week.
Finally, a person can settle a labor dispute,
referring to could a person for consultations and negotiations.
Now a lot of women from the Amusement Industry are coming to us.
That was not to be anticipated.
I am working in a Cabaret.
My boss abuses me. Sexual harrassment, power harrassment
He doesn't pay us and e.g. he has called me on my day-off.
He asks us to work.
If we say no, then he says, we are going to loose our job.
There are all sorts of cases, but the most frequent are sudden dismissals.
People are fired without given prior notice.
They have no income from the next day, so
they come to the union seeking assistance.
After collective negotiations, either the dismissal is taken back or
compensation corresponding to “dismissal notification pay” will be paid.
That was - campaigning against these temp agencies, that are
becoming really large and powerful over just a few years
e.g. the Goodwill Cooperation has bought a Baseball Stadium.
The TWU is an individual membership union for temp agency workers.
Goodwill is a day labor agency that has become a public scandal
and so a Goodwill Union was created together with them.
Mcrew Union is a joint effort against yet another
appaling labor agency that sends day workers to construction sites.
Code of Conduct It is forbidden to harass others.
No protests vests, banners and bandanas in the building!
The Freeter Union is organising every year a May Day.
called the "May Day for Freedom and Survival", which is a
really independent and fun May Day.
Free health care!
Secure our lives!
If you can't do it, then stop taking taxes from us.
In the sound demonstrations, for example much effort
goes towards expression, that is creativity and effective communication.
Whereas in the past, for Japanese unions
as well as New Left groups, demonstrations were a formality.
Meaning, there was a traditional style and
format that was being followed, doing things that way.
From the outside it appeared as if the demonstrators
weren't putting their feelings into the march.
It wasn't fun for participants either.
We could just be walking in silence, for example.
Or else, shouting out words that were ferocious, but only
on the surface, repeating what was being said by another person.
That's how the demonstrations were before with social movements.
The Freeter Union is not the only group, but one of them.
It matters a lot to us that we produce our own way of
articulating ourselves, and much more of it.
At the sound demo a sound truck plays music while
people dance to the demonstration, and also make their statements.
Origuchi (Goodwill president) is guilty of death by overwork.
I am also often participating in different women's groups
e.g. a support group against self-harm.
Around 90 % of people with self-harm behaviour are women.
Their problems are always treated as being mental problems.
That is something the women are always afraid of.
The reason is the societal situation, in which women
hardly can live.
There have been no arrests, more participants
and the demo situation has improved.
The Precariat!
I would like to dress up as a worker and sing.
Fukushima, Chairwoman of the Socialist Party
I find it very refreshing.
From young people for young people about young people
This is a declaration of young people with a self definition
as proletariat and precariat.
A lot are busy with the improve- ment of working standards in Japan.
And it is not just like that in Japan, but in the world:
e.g. the income gap in the globalisation.
Young people as precariat are busy with topics e.g. being young related to work.
And I hope, that it spreads.
Also the stuff we carry on us, banners and that sort of thing,
again we improvise ways to say what needs to be said,
without being cliché.
It's as if ... as opposed to being an obligation.
There are these people who really want to be doing this.
And this gives power to the demonstrations.
Also, among the people participating, what was it
the people who carry black flags...anarchists.
They are anarchists but very serious people.
Or is that how anarchists are?
Anyways, they are principled and eager to bring anarchist culture
with them, not to disrupt but to participate in a very constructive way.
Different people wanting to build the union into something good and
bringing what they have It's also the result of these efforts.
Beyond labor organizations, we participate in the Anti-Poverty Network
which is a coalition of groups addressing poverty from different perspectives.
Recently we've been a part of the anti-G8 mobilizations
and many union members were present in Hokkaido.
We're connected to groups in solidarity with street residents.
Lets see, what else... there are so many.
To return to the characteristics of the Freeter Union:
another characteristic is that members are commited to
other struggles and have movement networks outside the union.
You could say that the union's network with people
and movements grows through its members.
Before we go into that, the Freeter Union organizes
a “Mayday for Freedom and Survival” .
It's a fun and “independent” sort of Mayday
and there are a number of similar Maydays throughout the country.
Groups and people gathering for Mayday could become
a starting point from where new unions are created everywhere.
It was after this repression (2006) that one of the members of a
more established union suggested to us that we begin to really
look at our own lives: how we make money, our workplaces
Why are we activists in the first place?
Because until then many activists don't really like to talk about
their situation with money or what happens at the jobs.
Everyone is maybe anti-capitalist, but we tend to not analyse
why these violations are happening.
Why are we poor, why we are hungry?
And it was around that time, that we begin to concern ourselves
with our daily issues, that we've always had, ever since we were students.
So the idea was to form a labour union and that will
give us some sort of protection.
First we learned to talk about our problems, discussing them
not just with people in the company, but on the streets with strangers,
writing about them, learning to talk about what happens.
And we try to look for ways that are cheap.
so that we can share what we know.
And this is e.g. one way.
This is a booklet that covers different aspects about work.
This is in case we are fired, discharged, that shows us
under which exact law we are protected.
and exactly how much we are due.
Exact situations were an employer can fire you under what kind of
There are different ways of getting fired.
And then there is holiday.
There is accidents, there is a lot of workers injuries.
And what do you do in case that happens.
And this is there as data to be downloaded and
we carry these and just give it to people.
People aren't restrained from moving around, being precarious anyways.
When the idea comes up for a new union campaign,
say at a shark employer like some dispatch labor agency,
a member would go there, sign-up and begin working to launch a union.
That's also something we do.
Utopias
Let's see: an office for ourselves as a union ...
And then, lets say, a place to collect alternative information,
what is that called?... an infoshop, a place
for exchanging information that is
not available through the mainstream media.
Also with housing where people suddenly forced out of their
homes could go on with their lives.
To obtain a building that somehow combines these functions.
In this place the union would receive more and more calls
as the circle of people helping each other grows.
And people being disregarded and pushed around can
stand up against bosses and companies together.
Not retreating into isolation but fighting back and
in the process create a setting that is a antithesis.