'Rights over meat': Yakiniku King restaurant workers in Japan unionize, win rehiring deal
TSU -- Thirty-two part-time workers, mainly university students, at the Tsu Kamihama branch of the nationwide Yakiniku King barbecue restaurant chain
Thirty-two part-time workers, primarily university students, at the Tsu Kamihama branch of the Yakiniku King barbecue restaurant chain in central Japan created a labor union after facing pressure to voluntarily resign during the temporary closure for rebuilding. They later secured an agreement to rehire all workers desiring to return upon reopening, along with financial compensation.
Two Mie University students announced this development at a news conference in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, on October 6. The branch closed on July 1 for reconstruction work. In early July, 32 part-time employees who were unhappy with being treated as if their departures were voluntary resignations formed a union with assistance from the Mie Prefecture federation of labor unions, known as Mie Roren.
Thirty-one of the 32 workers were university students in Mie Prefecture. They named their union the "Niku yori kenri yaro" labor union, which means "Rights over meat." The union demanded an apology from The Monogatari Corp., the Toyohashi-based operator of the chain, for pressuring employees to resign, reemployment for former staff willing to work at the new restaurant upon reopening, and financial compensation.
At the initial negotiations on August 7, the company maintained that confirmed resignations were valid, and no payments were owed. They also stated the new restaurant would not require a large workforce, making it impossible to hire everyone. However, a written response on September 11 indicated a shift in the company's stance. During collective bargaining on September 16, the two sides reached an agreement accepting the union's demands.
The company acknowledged insufficient communication and expressed regret over the situation. One third-year male student at Mie University, who attended the news conference, expressed surprise at the company accepting all their demands and praised their sincere handling of the situation. A second-year student appeared relieved, crediting their success to teamwork and stating they were glad their concerns were heard by the company.
Upon inquiry, The Monogatari Corp. declined to disclose specific terms and conditions but expressed a sincere intention to resolve the matter promptly and smoothly.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
