All are welcome to join the General Union in conversation with 3 women about their struggles and successes as politicians, labor union activists, and refugees. Join us on November 5, 2023, from 14:00 to 17:00 online via Zoom or in Person a L-Osaka Minami-Kan Room 72 (MAP). This is a bilingual event, in both English and Japanese language with interpretation. All are welcome.
Meet our speakers for this year’s symposium:
Yuko Otsubaki
Ms. Otsubaki was born in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture in 1973. After serving as a full-time labor union officer, she ran unsuccessfully for the Social Democratic Party in the 2009 and 2010 general elections, but was elected as a member of the House of Councilors in April 2011. She is a member of the House of Councilors’ Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. She is also qualified as a social worker, mental health worker, and childcare worker.
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Seiko Matsuo
Ms. Matsuo is a single mother, and started working as a ready-mixed concrete truck driver to raise her three children. She learned about the “Solidarity Union Kan’Nama Branch”, joined, and became a union member. Although the Kan’Nama Branch is in an industry and workplace where there are few women, she was able to help raise wages, improve the working conditions, obtain special leave (menstrual leave), and obtain full time employment, all while learning from experienced union members. She has appeared in the film “From Here – I Won’t Stop,” which introduced the public to the struggle against the oppression of the Kan’Nama Union Branch, but this is a documentary of her as she really is.
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Lia
Lia is a resilient and passionate refugee from Africa who migrated to Japan in 2008 to escape political persecution. She has dedicated herself to championing female empowerment and youth education, facing challenges and oppression in her home country while advocating for change. Her journey and her perseverance in overcoming adversity make her a remarkable voice for women’s rights and gender equality.
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Join us November 5, 2023 from 14:00 to 17:00 on Zoom or in person at L-Osaka. All are welcome RSVP
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