General Union Fukuoka Office
An unexpected call from the labour bureau led to one of those moments that perfectly illustrates the power of union presence—even when we don’t need to take formal action.
The bureau staff explained they had a Filipino woman seeking help. Her company was refusing to process her maternity allowance application, despite her clear entitlement to the benefit. She had given birth on March 20th and left her job on March 22nd, but the timing still qualified her for the allowance if properly applied for.
The labour bureau initially directed her to Kyokai Kenpo (the health insurance association), but hit a dead end when officials there explained they had no authority to compel companies to handle such procedures. Faced with this bureaucratic impasse, the labour bureau staff remembered their previous collaboration with General Union and decided to give us a call, pulling our business card from their files.
“We’ll take it on,” I told them immediately.
Soon after, the woman called me directly. I listened to her situation and we arranged to meet via Zoom to discuss her options properly. But before our scheduled meeting could take place, something remarkable happened.
When I contacted her to confirm our appointment, she had unexpected news: “My company called me, and when I mentioned I was consulting with a labour union, they immediately said they would handle the procedures.”
That was it. We never had to write a demand letter, attend a meeting, or file a formal complaint. The mere mention of union involvement was enough to transform her employer’s attitude completely.
This case perfectly captures something fundamental about labour unions—sometimes our greatest power lies not in the actions we take, but in the knowledge that we *could* take action. While this quick resolution isn’t typical, it shows how the possibility of union intervention can motivate employers to do the right thing.
As I finished the call, I could hear the healthy cries of her baby in the background—a wonderful reminder of what this was all about. A new mother got the support she deserved, and justice was served without confrontation.
It was one of those moments that reminded me exactly why labour unions matter.