So what is Article 23?

Many of you may not know that upon resigning from your job, a contract ending, or even being fired, you have the right to request your final salary within 7 days of your final date of employment. Many employers, including Coco Juku, blatantly flaunt the law and refuse to comply. They often wait until the next monthly pay day to deposit final salaries.

While a small thing to some people, it is actually very important to many foreigners, especially those leaving Japan. Some employers promise to remit final salaries overseas but we shouldn’t rely upon them all being honest. If you aren’t in country to collect your final salary you then need to rely upon friends or acquaintances to check you have been paid and send the money to you. Problem is though, what happens if the final salary has been short changed? How are you going to deal with this from abroad? It is better to insist that all monies be paid in compliance of Article 23 – within 7 days of your final employment date.

One Coco Juku teacher here in Osaka recently had this experience and was told by his manager “the company refuses to pay within seven days and that he would have to wait until the standard monthly pay date”. As soon as the General Union became involved he received his final salary, all within the 7 days.

Rather than deal with low level managers, the union went straight to the Coco Juku president, along with the president of the parent company. This also helps to maintain relationships at the branch level and avoids confrontation with low level staff who can’t affect company-wide change.

Solving this problem is just one reason the General Union believe Coco Juku teachers need a fully independent union. Interested in joining a real union that fights for its members rights? Contact us.