JTU President Nakamura's Inaugural Address

April 14, 2008

After the end of World War II, Japan took up its place again in the international community, and became a member, not only of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, but also of the OECD (the group of 30 industrialized countries sharing a commitment to a market economy and democracy), and more recently the G7 and then the G8. Japan is broadly recognized as a democratic country.

However, we are confronted by an undeniable reality: Japan is top-ranking in economic terms, but is second-ranking in political terms. This reality is illustrated by the following questions: "Why are ILO Fundamental Labour Standards not applied to Public Service employees, although Japan is an ILO Member State? Why is the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Teaching Personnel not respected, although Japan is a UNESCO Member State?"

We are now almost a decade into the 21st century. How much longer will this situation go on? For years the Japanese Government has used stonewalling tactics, by insisting on the precedence of domestic laws, such as National Public Service and Local Public Service Laws, over International Law in spite of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969, which Japan made a solemn commitment to apply. Or they have used the excuse that the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation is not a Treaty, as a reason for giving priority to domestic rules over the Recommendation.

This is a good time for the Japanese Government to take seriously the reform of the National Public Service System, including all public employees and personnel, not only those engaged in the administration of the State. Above all, the government should recognize unions of public employees and personnel as social partners and start Social Dialogue, to discuss the issues openly. Right now, the Fundamental Bill of the National Public Service and reform of the system is under discussion in the Japanese Diet. We are no longer in an era when the Maintenance of Public Order Act should control our society. Trade unions should no longer be subject to suppression or monitoring. The Japanese Government should make changes in the National Public Service now and do so on the basis of social dialogue.

To mention JTU, we have 300,000 members, which amount to 30% of all teachers in Japan. The number of teachers in Japan is 1,000,000. Through RENGO, and Education International, JTU is a recognized partner in the global trade union movement. Through RENGO we are member of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). At Education International (EI), our Global Union Federation, JTU holds responsibilities through membership of the Executive Board and as Chair of the EI Asia-Pacific Regional Committee. These responsibilities testify to the broad recognition of JTU internationally. We can also be described as a mass organization of 300,000 teachers who are actually engaged in teaching. I very much regret, and express my dissatisfaction with deliberate attempts to dismiss JTU somehow as "a group of left-wing ideology". We are the representative voice of teachers and must be respected as such.

When the Fundamental Law on Education was about to be revised, I talked with the EI General Secretary, who came to Japan. He told me he could not believe that there is no sincere dialogue between government and the teachers' union, sitting together around the table. Sincere dialogue among the interested parties is the key to enabling reform to be carried out smoothly, and indeed quickly, and also, to ensure that reforms are reliable and sustainable. This is, absolutely, a plus for both the government's side and the teachers' side. Even if I assume that the government does not recognize us an interested party, they cannot neglect the reality that our members are the ones actually working in education.

I perceive that there are people in management positions who remain wedded to a "pre-modern" concept of management, which sees us as the enemy and say that trade unions are the sole cause of bad human relations in the workplace. I admit that we may have the same tendency, as some of us detest others just because of the management positions they hold. However, we should shed that tendency, we should put it away, and we should move on to "modern" management, which is based upon respect for each other as a Trade Union representative, or as a Management or Government representative. I am sure that social dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect will not only relieve unhelpful tension, conflict and stress, but will also promote meaningful school reform in the interests of all ? especially the students.

We are ready to make this resolution, and to take up this responsibility.