In our recent article, we outlined what good faith looks like in the private language industry. Unfortunately, not every company lives up to that standard. After repeated efforts to negotiate in good faith with English Cafe CLOCK, we have now filed an unfair labor practice claim with the Osaka Labor Commission.

The dispute began when one of our members, who was working at CLOCK under an “ITAKU Independent Instructor” contract, requested a pay increase in late 2024. After some back-and-forth, he was granted a one-month extension through the end of March 2025. He submitted a revised, lower request in an effort to negotiate. CLOCK did not respond, then notified him that his contract would not be renewed.

Given the urgency of potential job loss, we moved quickly into collective bargaining. Over two sessions, we reviewed and corrected serious legal issues in the company’s contract. The owner accepted our revisions, took notes, and even asked to copy the draft. But once we reached the topic of wages – at this point, our member was willing to continue with no rate increase – the company abruptly claimed that no new contract could be issued due to their internal “30-day” renewal policy.

We gave the employer time to reconsider, and even warned of possible legal action. They refused.

This case is a clear example of what happens when dialogue breaks down. CLOCK’s refusal to continue negotiations based on a flimsy procedural excuse and after accepting every other proposed term shows a pattern of bad faith. When employers stonewall instead of engage, the union has no choice but to escalate, and the employer ends up having to use valuable time and financial resources to deal with an issue that should have been resolved amicably.

We asked for dialogue. CLOCK chose the alternative.