Progress in 2025 and the Struggle Ahead in 2026
In 2025, one of the struggles the General Union fought hardest was the fight against the illegal exclusion of workers from social insurance, and real progress was made. This is a problem that has been ignored for years and treated as normal despite being clearly unlawful.
This is not the end of the fight. The gains made in 2025 are a starting point. In 2026, the union will continue pushing forward.
A Structural Problem in Universities
The General Union has been actively confronting the widespread problem of workers being excluded from social insurance despite clearly meeting the legal eligibility requirements. This issue is particularly acute in universities, where the unlawful non-enrolment of part-time teachers has become routine rather than exceptional.
Concrete Wins at Two Universities
In response, the General Union took up this issue at two universities. For part-time teacher union members who had been denied enrolment in Shigaku Kyosai since October 2016, enrolment has been secured at one university from the current academic year. At the second university, the union has obtained a firm commitment that enrolment will be implemented from the next academic year.
Demanding Compensation and Preparing for Litigation
At both institutions, efforts are now underway to demand that the universities compensate affected union members for the losses they have suffered as a result of delayed enrolment. These losses include both past and future damages, and preparations are being made with litigation clearly in mind.
Inquiry to the Ministry and “Zero Prosecutions”
With the cooperation of a member of the National Diet, the General Union submitted formal inquiries to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare regarding enforcement of the law. The Ministry’s response was unequivocal. Not a single employer who failed to enrol eligible workers in social insurance has been prosecuted under the penalties explicitly stipulated in law.
Social Insurance as a Core Union Fight
Pressuring employers to enrol eligible workers in social insurance, and compelling them to compensate workers for damages caused by delayed enrolment, lies at the very core of what labour unions exist to do. In that sense, achieving concrete results in these cases represented a significant step forward.
Illegality as a Profitable System
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s own data reveals the scale of the problem. Approximately 970,000 workers have been illegally excluded from social insurance. Around 150,000 business establishments are suspected of violations, representing 5.6 percent of all workplaces. Yet there have been zero prosecutions. This is not a collection of isolated cases, but a large-scale, systematic failure in which breaking the law has effectively become profitable.
Looking Ahead to 2026
By bringing this reality to light with concrete facts, the General Union has laid a firm foundation for future action. Building on the gains made in 2025, the union will continue the fight in 2026 to hold employers accountable and defend workers’ rights and livelihoods.