Considering between Practices of Labor Consultation and Research
I focus on individual affiliate unions, especially ones dealing with issues of irregular workers of the youth (what I call “youth labor movement (YLM)”) as my research subject. Usually labor unions remind us of in-company unions and many of them allow only regular employees to join. On the other hand, individual affiliate unions are located around town, outside of companies, and part-time workers and temporary workers as well as regular employees are allowed to consult and join.
This kind of movement by individual affiliate unions in Japan has started since the middle of 1980s and become active with the increase of irregular workers. It is the union movement, and lawyers and the media cooperating with the movement that spread now well-known labor issues, such as overwork death, “managers in name only,” sexual harassment and power harassment through society. Of course we should not forget the involved persons and bereaved families who charged with courage. It is labor consultation that ties them with the union.
Labor consultation is made mainly via phones and e-mails and legal advices based on labor acts including Labor Standards Act and Labor Union Act are provided in the consultation. Many consulters consult without legal knowledge and they are not satisfied or they would like to confirm whether they are wrong. Some of them blame themselves for not having done their best even if they get into trouble. Legal advices by persons in charge of consultation play a role of enabling consulters to feel that their issues are not individual ones but ones to be solved collectively/socially. Also, the remark made by persons in charge of consultation that the company is at fault enables some of consulters to feel that they are not at fault and they should get angry. That is, labor consultation is not an opportunity where a person with awareness concerning labor issues consults a union for seeking solutions. Rather, it can be said that labor consultation even produces involved persons of labor issues.
At a union's networking event meals are prepared and eaten by participants.
I realize such function of labor consultation when I serve as a person in charge of consultation, listen to consulters' consultation, conduct collective negotiations with companies, and escort them to the Labor Standards Inspection Office. Therefore, labor consultation is my research site. To be honest, however, when I provide consultation, I forget in many cases that I am a researcher because I am too busy and I also find meaning in labor consultation itself. I am happy to see consulters are recovering little by little. Yet such kind of involvement in consultation activities makes me at a loss what to do as a researcher and what kind of significances the activities have for my research. Then what reminds me is that “solution of labor issues” is difficult to consulters in many cases.
As the labor environment is getting severer and severer, the number of workers having mental illnesses caused by labor issues has been increasing. Also in many cases the labor condition of every workplace is negative. It is difficult to gain re-employment or even if re-employment is gained it is difficult to continue working for a long time. Therefore, even after negotiations with companies are over it is rare from my experiences that issues are “solved clearly.” Although labor consultation supports dignity and survival of consulters it is still difficult for individual affiliate unions to have continuous support for consulters. Therefore, I think that as a researcher I should not only respond to individual consultation but also contribute to making of circumstances that structurally support people's survival by clarifying of social meanings that can be drawn from consultations because I feel that it also contributes to individual consulter's “solutions.”
