OSAKA &#8212; Nova employees and union officials lashed out at the language school chain's move Friday to seek court protection from creditors, and called on the government to ensure its nearly 7,000 workers, many of whom have not been paid for months, receive their wages.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The announcement caught most employees by surprise, said Jamie Scarrabelotti, a Nova employee in Osaka's Namba district.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'We showed up for work at 9 a.m. Friday morning, and it was business as normal. At 11 a.m., I heard from Nova's foreign personnel office that the company was going to ask for government assistance, and that if they didn't get it, they may have to declare bankruptcy,' Scarrabelotti said.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>At a Friday afternoon news conference in Osaka, a spokesman from the General Union, which represents Japanese and foreign employees at English conversation schools, said they were petitioning the central government to take action and establish emergency measures to assist Nova teachers and staff.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'We can't be very optimistic about Nova's recovery. Just yesterday –

, Nova said that unpaid salaries would be paid and that students would receive refunds by the end of the month. Now, they file for bankruptcy protection. We can't trust what Nova officials say," said Katsuji Yamahara, a union representative.

Toshiaki Higashibata, a lawyer representing Nova, told a separate news conference that unpaid salaries had reached ¥4 billion. However, Yamahara warned that the government needed to ensure Nova provides proper documentation of unpaid salaries in the weeks and months ahead.

"We're worried that even if the company undergoes restructuring, the same problems related to unpaid salaries will not be solved. Nova should continue paying teachers and staff, even though the schools are now closed down," Yamahara said.

The concern about receiving unpaid wages is especially strong among employees and union officials because Nozomu Sahashi, who was ousted as Nova president Thursday, has disappeared and it remains unclear as to who is in charge.