“NO REPORTS NO PAY”
“If for some reason you cannot fax or email reports, you must let the staff at the Branch know right away. The reports are very important and the BOE’s are not above withholding pay if all reports, from all the ALT’s in your area are not received.
This is not Interac withholding your pay, this is the BOE’s doing. So place, get in your reports, and if you want to ensure you have money in your account, then you can check on your fellow ALT’s in your BOE area to make sure they are sending in reports on time just like yourself.” [sic]
Aside from the Orwellian attempts to coerce ALTs into policing themselves via the threat of “no pay” unless everyone is doing as they’re told, the newsletter once again demonstrates how Interac is able to use misinformation and misdirection to subvert Japanese Labor Law and manipulate its employees into giving away their own rights.
Indeed, withholding salary is a blatant violation of the Labor Standards Act, with possible ramifications for the company.
* Interac cannot “withhold pay” from an ALT because they have not sent their “report” in on time. This is illegal.
* BOEs do not “pay” ALTs – Interac directly pays the ALTs. If your salary has been withheld, this is illegal, your contract has been broken, and Interac is to blame.
* BOEs do not “withhold” money from Interac, either – in many cases Interac receives the money for the year upfront. Shifting the blame to the BOEs for the actions of the company is dishonest at best.
The “Head Teacher” is being disingenuous when he writes that “all articles written do not reflect the opinions of the writer’s employer or its parent company.” The company pays this person to be in a position of leadership, and as such, the company bears legal responsibility for everything this person does in that position.
The General Union will be investigating more, and raising the matter with Interac.
In the meantime, don’t be like this “Head Teacher” – educate yourself, learn your rights, and don’t let yourself be pushed around by those who want to manipulate you.