T – A 5% base pay increase for all employees, including part-timers – Shakai Hoken enrolment for those who want it – A return of ‘Special Holidays’ abolished by the company in 2004 Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has asked companies to raise pay in order to boost consumption and spur economic expansion. “Now more than ever the fruits of reform should be passed on to household income.” Even Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) has been encouraging businesses to give wage hikes. According to our research, Nichibei was making profits all the way through the recession, but froze pay rises in 1992, and only because of union pressure started up their evaluation-based pay rise system in 2002. However, it’s time for a base-up guaranteed pay rise for all. Part-timers at Nichibei are not paid for the hours they have to wait around cooling their heels between lessons, a system that boosts the company’s profits but is clearly totally unfair on the employees. Part-timers are not paid for national holidays and company holidays; many of them have to spend their own unpaid time preparing for lessons, and scandalously, they have no contractually-guaranteed work at all, despite being the workhorses of the company. We will be holding Collective Bargaining with the company over our demands on Monday 7 April. It’s time for a change at Nichibei!