Regarding the Oct. 17 article "Unions want Nova, president indicted over payroll delays": My son arrived in Japan in early September after assurances from the U.K. end of the Nova (conversation school) organization that there were no real problems. He has not been paid the signing bonus he was promised or the wages he is entitled to.
In the meantime, Nova has charged him for rent on a shared apartment in Osaka and for health insurance. The problem for my son, having paid these sums to Nova, is that his landlord has not received any rent, nor has the health company received any payment for his health insurance, from Nova.
In the United Kingdom, that would be grounds for constructive dismissal since the company had not kept its side of the bargain, having defaulted on an agreed contract of employment. But it appears that as he has only just arrived in Japan, he is not entitled to any protection under Japanese employment laws.
I hope there are enough Japanese with integrity to ensure that not only my son but others like him are looked after while action is taken to ensure that (Nova's management) is held to account and forced to pay employees of all nationalities.
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