The new year’s here, and so are fresh opportunities to build power at your workplace. We’ve just released January and February dates for our Individual Organising Training—your chance to learn the practical skills for talking to colleagues about joining the union. 

This isn’t theory. It’s a 50-minute session that gives you the tools to have those crucial conversations. You’ll learn your legal rights to organise in Japan, how to build genuine connections with co-workers, and how to guide workplace discussions towards collective action. 

Version 4 is available in both English and Japanese, covering everything from starting casual conversations to handling the questions people actually ask about unions in Japan. Whether you’re already active or just curious about organising, this training meets you where you are. 

Don’t let another year go by watching workplace problems happen without doing something about it. Register now at sp.genu.cc/step1 and start 2026 knowing how to build real power at work. 

The Full Story: Building Union Power One Conversation at a Time 

Why This Training Exists 

The numbers tell a clear story: 70% of our new members join through personal introductions from existing members. Not through campaigns. Not through advertising. Through one worker talking to another worker about the union. 

We’ve always had workplace organising training for strategic campaigns—when you’re trying to build collective power to take on a specific employer or fight for a particular demand. But we never had anything to help individual members with those everyday conversations. You know the ones: a colleague mentions a workplace problem, and you think “they should join the union”—but what do you actually say? How do you bring it up? What if they ask questions you can’t answer? 

That gap created a problem. Many members felt confident in union principles but nervous about having recruitment conversations. Some avoided the topic entirely, even when colleagues were clearly frustrated with workplace conditions. Others jumped straight to solutions instead of listening first, which often pushed people away rather than drawing them in. 

This training fills that gap. 

What You’ll Actually Learn 

The Individual Organising Training runs for 50 minutes and covers three core sections, all grounded in practical advice for the conversations you’ll actually have. 

Section 1: Your Right to Organise 

You’ll understand the legal foundation that protects your organising activity. Union rights are constitutionally protected in Japan under Article 28, giving all workers—regardless of nationality, visa status, or employment type—the right to organise unions, bargain collectively, and take collective action. The Trade Union Law Article 7 requires employers to negotiate in good faith and prohibits unfair labour practices. 

Crucially, you’ll learn what you can legally do whilst organising. You can talk to co-workers about unions during breaks—the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld this right. You can distribute union materials during non-work time, even if company rules say you need permission. You can do this without interfering with company operations by doing it during break times. 

Understanding these rights matters because colleagues will ask questions about whether organising is legal, whether it’s safe, whether the company can punish them for it. You need to answer confidently with facts, not guesses. 

Section 2: Having Effective Union Conversations 

This is where theory meets practice. You’ll learn how to set up conversations—choosing the right time and place for honest discussion, preferably off company property where people feel comfortable speaking freely. You’ll understand why you shouldn’t hand out materials during training days when managers are watching, or put colleagues in awkward positions where they have to choose whether to accept union materials in front of their boss. 

The training emphasises listening over talking. Many union activists struggle here—they hear a problem and immediately jump in with solutions instead of really understanding their colleague’s perspective first. You’ll learn to focus on understanding before offering solutions, because your role is to listen, not immediately tell them how the union will fix everything. 

You’ll also learn how to make the connection between individual concerns and broader workplace issues that can be addressed through collective action. And crucially, you’lllearn to be honest about what the union can and cannot do. Don’t oversell. Don’t promise things you can’t deliver. Talk about hope and improvement, not like you’re selling a broken vacuum cleaner. 

The training warns against one common mistake: believing that those who complain most about the workplace are the best place to start. Our experience shows these people will often waste your time as they’re only interested in complaining, not taking action. 

Section 3: Tools and Resources 

When colleagues ask you questions about how the union functions, you need to know where to direct them. This section covers all the resources available to make you a better organiser. 

You’ll learn about the Giant FAQ (sp.genu.cc/giantFAQ) which familiarises people with general information about the union—how it operates, structure, dues, and more. The main website (www.generalunion.org) loads information about different kinds of laws—parental leave, employment insurance, workplace rights. Union orientation teaches people about union structure and how it’s run. 

Non-members can get help too through consultations (genu.cc/consult). Branch leaders are good first contacts for problems that aren’t too big. You’ll know how to get people connected through e-news signup (genu.cc/e-news), and you can tell them about training opportunities—people can take Individual Organising Training even as non-members. 

The Labour Bulletin comes out twice monthly, chalk full of information on new labour laws, court cases, and other news from the world of work in Japan. Download the PDFs at genu.cc/category/labour-bulletin. 

Most importantly, when someone asks you something you don’t know, you’ll learn to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and get back to you.” This honesty opens up another opportunity to talk to them again and builds trust rather than destroying it by making stuff up. 

Success Stories: What Happens When Members Learn to Organise 

The training doesn’t just build individual confidence—it builds workplace power. Many participants have gone on to successfully recruit new members at their workplaces, with some even establishing workplace organising plans. 

The standout success comes from Okinawa International School. One member’s journey began with individual organising training. Within just a few months, this led to workplace organising training, the official declaration of a union at the school, and the commencement of collective bargaining. That’s the power of one person learning how to have effective conversations with their colleagues. 

Available in Your Language 

Version 4 brings together everything we’ve learnt from past sessions, updated with the questions members actually ask. It’s now available in both English and Japanese, so you can choose the language you’re most comfortable with for discussing workplace issues and union rights. 

Register Now for January & February 

New training dates are now available throughout January and February 2026, with sessions scheduled at different times to accommodate various work schedules. Each session is just 50 minutes and gives you practical tools you can immediately put to use. 

Whether you’re already active in the union or just curious about organising, this is your chance to sharpen your skills and take part in building real power at work. 

Register now at sp.genu.cc/step1 

The new year’s here. Start it ready to organise.