The End of Nova Thread

[wtfysc]

"closing for a few weeks" translates as "we're going to start running now and get a head start before you realise what's going on and come after us" as far as I can see.

They must have only the most brainwashed staff working in there. Obviously they're not "doing it for the students" if the place is closed. Must be just doing it for Saruhashi.

[Masked Rider]

And I hear Japanese prison is like Club Med. I bet they get shiatsu massages and hot springs.

You're 100% wrong there .Japanese prison is one place you don't want to go.

And how the hell would you know?

Anyone who reads reputable journals of opinion would have seen the odd article about how much Japanese prisons are like torture chambers.

How so? Are their daily shiatsu massages administered by students instead of long time professional masseurs? Is the salt on their food bought from a supermarket and not hand collected from the seas of Okinawa? Oh, my heart is breaking.

[OVERNOVA]

And how the hell would you know?

Been here a long time mate.Nearly 20 years.

Have a read through this site

http://www.justicefornickbaker.org/cgi- ... b/YaBB.cgi

Or google Fuchu prison You'll see that it's no holiday camp. .It's more like a world war 2 gulag.

[fumanchu]

And I hear Japanese prison is like Club Med. I bet they get shiatsu massages and hot springs.

You're 100% wrong there .Japanese prison is one place you don't want to go.

And how the hell would you know?

Anyone who reads reputable journals of opinion would have seen the odd article about how much Japanese prisons are like torture chambers.

How so? Are their daily shiatsu massages administered by students instead of long time professional masseurs? Is the salt on their food bought from a supermarket and not hand collected from the seas of Okinawa? Oh, my heart is breaking.

Japanese criminal justice system is barbaric - just read what Amnesty International and the United Nations have said.

Yokkata!

[In The Know]

After having a friend give me the gist of the Yomuri Weekly id　like to offer my thoughts;
If it wasn't before I think it is now safe to say that Nova is dead. The statements contained in the article would be libelous to the tune of millions of dollars if not true (can`t claim to have any knowledge of defamation law in Japan). There is just no way that an organization like Yomuri shinbun would publish an article like that if it wasn't sure its evidence was rock solid.

Said article is the final nail. RIP

As a middle-aged Japanese who used to work at KTV television explained it to me, while it seems like the Japanese media are slow to report news despite rumors, gossip and whispers, they only report about 10% of what they know to avoid libel suits. As more facts become provable they build their stories. When the biggest news starts to hit-- as it is now with this Yomirui Weekly story, force of the media onslaught comes like a bag of rocks-- down hard. After that it's pure vengeance and jockeying for 'scoops' as they they try to stay ahead of each other.

It should get interesting starting tomorrow with the media and with the teachers walking out. If only one-sixth called in sick today it's not enough. We need about 80% or more to really put the padlocks on the branch doors ASAP.

[zombiejesus]

Is that their new strategy for saving money? Turn off all the lights in schools to cut electricity bills?

i was pretty cranky at the time... but now the image of the japanese staff sitting around in the dark like mushrooms makes me laugh a little.

[fumanchu]

If/when the police do get hold of Saruhashi they'll have him confessing to things that haven't even happened. The system is based around coercing confessions, and if they don't come the punishments are ever so much harsher and the public condemnation all the more severe.
We can but hope...

[In The Know]

"closing for a few weeks" translates as "we're going to start running now and get a head start before you realise what's going on and come after us" as far as I can see.

That was exactly my thought when I first read this.

(* Sarcasm alert)...

For the teachers still going in, you better call FP or your AAM to find out what other schools are open in your area in case you go in and find a note like this on your regular branch's door. Remember, "I'm going in because I feel sorry for the students/staff, I have nothing better to do, I still want to get paid sometime, etc."

Don't be a lazy, irresponsible, selfish, ungrateful bastard like me and just stop going in! No, do not do that. It sends the wrong message.

[Long Termer]

talking to some current Nova teachers, they have told me that they continue to go in to fight depression... if they just stayed home with no money and nothing to do they would feel worse and worse. I've hinted that maybe that's silly, but I told how shit the company was 6 months ago when I finally left.

I believe the downfall might be a slow one, held together by a group of "just a few months more in Japan" workers who can't reason finding another job for 8 weeks of work.

This is the same reason nobody joins the union (although the other big reason is the unions continuous useless appearance, and I say appearance, cause I'm not starting a fight, only stating how many people I know have seen them in the 3 years I've been in the country).

So, I doubt that very many people will be going up to protest tomorrow (although I hope I'm wrong)... the regular short term instructors (AKA a huge damn percent) can't be bothered...

[FalconDriver]

OK, how about this?

#1) Saruhashi realizes that NOVA is not going to be able to make enough money to stay afloat. He's desperate.

#2) He contacts his partner in crime...what was his name? Nishida? They come up with a crooked plan to save the empire.

#3) Saruhashi fears desertion, so he keeps saying that something good is going to happen. (Here's the kicker: had they succeeded in whatever their plan was, something "apparently good" might actually have happened, but he needed time to pull it off.)

#4) That's the reason why he couldn't say what that good thing was! Because it was fucking illegal that's why. He was hoping to pull it off, and then try to make it look like something entirely different had happened. He'd be a hero.

#5) Suddenly, Nishida gets arrested and Saruhashi shits his little monkey britches. He grabs the 8,000,000 shares or whatever the fuck it was and jams out the back door with a banana up his ass.

#6) The deal falls through. Nishida is history and Saruhashi is a fugitive. No money ever finds its way into NOVA's bank accounts. Nobody ever gets paid. NOVA goes under in the next 1~2 weeks. End of story.

Well what do you think?

[Lord Blackadder]

Well what do you think?

Sounds plausible. He's pulled every other illegal trick in the book (late payment of wages, dodgy refund system, false advertising, etc.). I wouldn't put this kind of "logic" past him.

[Shawn]

Just a quick word on the media and reporting for those who are interested. A good place to start is by reading Cartels of the Mind by Ivan P. Hall.

Not a great book, IMO, because it deals with problems with foreigners in law and academia in addition to the media, but still a good primer on how the media works.

A must-read for those interested in an in-depth analysis of how the media operates is Closing the Shop: Information Cartels and Japan's Mass Media by Laurie Ann Freeman. It opens with a quote from Dante's Inferno, which sets the tone of the book:

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.

Another good one is A Public Betrayed: An Inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West by Watanabe and Gamble.

[In The Know]

talking to some current Nova teachers, they have told me that they continue to go in to fight depression... if they just stayed home with no money and nothing to do they would feel worse and worse.

To that type of teacher I say, "Sure, OK, I see. Now that you've explained it like that I know it would cheer me up and stave off depression to be reminded every 40 minutes with every NOVA chime that I had just given another free lesson in a small cubicle, sitting on an uncomfortable chair, staring down at piss-soaked (or worse) carpet listening to some obaasan yap about the flower show she attended with her crippled daughter last week in Gifu-ken."

"Put that katana away right now, Mrs. Yamada or I'll use it on my own belly here and now!"

[poxonyou]

I believe the downfall might be a slow one, held together by a group of "just a few months more in Japan" workers who can't reason finding another job for 8 weeks of work.

That'd be true if people were still getting paid. Exactly how long will people continue to work for free? Even if they're the most naive person in the world and believed every fax, they'll quickly have 0円 in their bank account and be screwed. Most teachers I knew lived paycheck to paycheck.

[Masked Rider]

Well what do you think?

But it all depends on the teachers, who are a fickle bunch at best. Some of them will keep going in for weeks, hell, maybe more than a month with no pay. Are you sure there will be no paycheck in that span of time?

And we all know the staff will never give up the fight. Hell, remember World War 2? Even after the emperor was finally strong armed into surrendering, soldiers kept on fighting! There were even some holdouts on Pacific islands who kept fighting for decades past the end of the war! And what ever happened to Hirohito? Nothing! He went on to live a healthy life, respected by everyone around him -- just as I imagine Saruhashi will when this is finally over.

[CynicalBeyondReason]

talking to some current Nova teachers, they have told me that they continue to go in to fight depression... if they just stayed home with no money and nothing to do they would feel worse and worse.

To that type of teacher I say, "Sure, OK, I see. Now that you've explained it like that I know it would cheer me up and stave off depression to be reminded every 40 minutes with every NOVA chime that I had just given another free lesson in a small cubicle, sitting on an uncomfortable chair, staring down at piss-soaked (or worse) carpet listening to some obaasan yap about the flower show she attended with her crippled daughter last week in Gifu-ken."

HAHAHAHAHAHAA.... classic! My neighbors must be wondering what in the hell I'm laughing about...

[poxonyou]

My prediction of when NOVA will declare bankruptcy still stands: October 19th at 7:00 pm.

Sorry. Please try again.

If the money doesn't magically come on the 25th, I think Nova will be over by November 1st. People can't afford to work full-time for free, no matter how naive and optimistic they are. Their money will be gone, they won't be able to pay rent, and they'll have no choice but to quit.

The last people will be the dumb J-staff, half of whom probably still live with their parents and have little to worry about as they can work at Sunkus until they get a decent job again, and some ATs and BTs still hoping for promotions as people flee, who will be wasting away all their saved money.

[In The Know]

And we all know the staff will never give up the fight. Hell, remember World War 2? Even after the emperor was finally strong armed into surrendering, soldiers kept on fighting! There were even some holdouts on Pacific islands who kept fighting for decades past the end of the war! And what ever happened to Hirohito? Nothing! He went on to live a healthy life, respected by everyone around him -- just as I imagine Saruhashi will when this is finally over.

To equate a revered, living god (at the time) with a felon like Sahashi and the conniving, lying staff (that's what commission sales can turn you into) is false comparison. I said it yesterday: everybody has a sibling, parent, friend, coworker, spouse or neighbor that has been shit on by NOVA, defrauded, lied to, denied a refund and they're all super-angry at this point. And it's only going to get worse-- obviously. There is not now nor will there ever be any public sympathy for Sahashi. The bastard is literally on the run now!

[countryboy]

Let’s Strike! It may sound and feel really good for the moment but there is another side, one that helps the recipient/employer. If a proper labor union calls for a strike, there are some requirements according to Japanese law.

One is that the reason for the strike has to be lawful. Non payment of wages is one good reason and lawful. Late payment of wages is a grey area at best. Nova has been late for paying wages and as of this date is late for the scheduled October 15 paydate, fine, but what if they do pay at a later date as what happened last month?

Let’s strike!

Ok you have a good reason you feel, but what if you do? Will it be lawfully recognized by Japanese courts? Chances are it won’t be in this case. One requirement is prior notice must be given to the company within a time frame, and the reasons for the strike given in writing. Did the Union do this?

Another point of law that will come out later, if this strike is carried out, is that it has to be carried out with the agreement of two thirds of the employees of the company belonging to the legally recognized representative labor union. Are two thirds of all Nova employees current members of the union? Union membership numbers are a very closely held secret, but despite the recent membership drives and increases of membership of the union of late being reported one has to wonder.

So what could happen if this strike takes place, is that it could work to the very benefit in the end, of the company it is intended to influence most negatively. In court Nova can claim later that they were victimized by an unlawful and malicious strike that hurt their revenues and image thus causing damages, blah, blah, blah...) you can imagine the sort of statements that will be made in bancruptcy courty by Nova lawyers making Nova the victim at the hand of ruthless foreigners again.

What needs to be done instead of a knee jerk reaction, is a more carefully thought out plan for actually assisting present employees of Nova, instead of captalizing on their situation for the benefit of increasing dues paying membership lists. How about a work slowdown or helping retired teachers collect unpaid wages. That would seem a more productive first step rather than just hitting the high road and media bandwagon with a visible and double edged strike.

[FalconDriver]

Well what do you think?

But it all depends on the teachers, who are a fickle bunch at best. Some of them will keep going in for weeks, hell, maybe more than a month with no pay. Are you sure there will be no paycheck in that span of time?

And we all know the staff will never give up the fight. Hell, remember World War 2? Even after the emperor was finally strong armed into surrendering, soldiers kept on fighting! There were even some holdouts on Pacific islands who kept fighting for decades past the end of the war! And what ever happened to Hirohito? Nothing! He went on to live a healthy life, respected by everyone around him -- just as I imagine Saruhashi will when this is finally over.

That's an interesting angle. Actually, I AM pretty sure there will be no paycheck. Of course, that's only my opinion - but this is the first time the staff AND the teachers have both not been paid at the same time right?

"Overlapping-nonpayage."

Also, don't forget that the 27th, the staff's payday, is now only twelve days away BUT it's a Saturday so it will be a Friday at eleven days away - not that a day or two here and there even matter anymore.

Eleven days to pay the staff then the teachers then the staff again?? To say nothing of the random branch closures we're starting to hear about - the new news story of Saruhashi possibly getting arrested. If he does end up getting arrested, you can (not you personally) kiss that deal he had goodbye. Not that it was ever enough to pay everyone anyway.

Nah, I think that even the hardcore thick heads will get the message a few weeks after their pay fails to materialize and the staff hit empty payday number two.

[CynicalBeyondReason]

talking to some current Nova teachers, they have told me that they continue to go in to fight depression... if they just stayed home with no money and nothing to do they would feel worse and worse.

Honestly, at the start of all of this, I was a bit worried how Nova's bankruptcy would impact English teaching over here; I thought there would be a rough patch of at least 6 months where competition would be intense for any job, making all of our lives that much harder. But now, having read the reasons for some people still trooping into work at Nova, I know now I have nothing to fear: most of these people will be gone in a few weeks, not a few months, and as for them competing for new jobs, most of them probably couldn't find their ass with both hands let alone find a new job. There's nothing to worry about in that regard.

[Masked Rider]

And we all know the staff will never give up the fight. Hell, remember World War 2? Even after the emperor was finally strong armed into surrendering, soldiers kept on fighting! There were even some holdouts on Pacific islands who kept fighting for decades past the end of the war! And what ever happened to Hirohito? Nothing! He went on to live a healthy life, respected by everyone around him -- just as I imagine Saruhashi will when this is finally over.

To equate a revered, living god (at the time) with a felon like Sahashi and the conniving, lying staff (that's what commission sales can turn you into) is false comparison. I said it yesterday: everybody has a sibling, parent, friend, coworker, spouse or neighbor that has been shit on my NOVA, defrauded, lied to, denied a refund and they're all super-angry at this point. And it's only going to get worse-- obviously. There is not now nor will there ever be any public sympathy for Sahashi. The bastard is literally on the run now!

I don't know mate, when I asked the staff at my branch last week why she thought everything would be A-OK, her eyes seemed to revere monkey dick as a god-like figure as she pointed to his fax promising of sunshine and rainbows. The Japanese have a shockingly short memory when it comes to scandals.

[FalconDriver]

There's no way they're saving NOVA. The whole thing has too much "inertia" behind it if you ask me. It's going into the ground like a fucking dart.

[MMPurpleTag]

Got this from a friend....

I was just at the General Union meeting. They brought up some useful points:

- For those people interested in information about unemployment benefits, the
Union asked Hello Work to prepare an information sheet. It is accessible online
at http://osaka-rodo.go.jp/topic/employmen ... system.pdf

- Some other points to consider are that most instructors will not actually be
classed as full time workers by Hello Work and the rules for collecting
unemployment insurance are not the same as for full time workers. If you can
remember back when the company offered people the choice to go onto the
government health insurance/pension scheme several different contract types were
created. Basically, to be eligible for the government health insurance you need
to work more than 30 hours a week. Instructors who are on A40 contacts (working
40 lessons per week) and not paying into the government health insurance/pension
scheme are not classed as full time workers. People on the A37 contracts
(working 37 lessons per week) and other contacts less than that are almost
certainly not classed as full time workers. For example, I am on an A40 contract
and because of the unpaid time between lessons I am only paid for something like
29.5 hours. Anyway, the main point is that full time workers only have to be
paying into unemployment insurance for 6 months to be eligible for unemployment
insurance if they quit. People not classed as full time employees (like most of
us) have to have been working for 12 months to collect unemployment insurance if
you quit. But if employees who are not classed as full time (like most of us)
lost their job because the company goes bankrupt, they are eligible for
unemployment insurance after only 6 months.

- I just talked about working for 6 or 12 months to be eligible for unemployment
insurance. You need to have worked for 11 days in a month for that month to
count.

- If you are eligible for unemployment insurance, you can apply for it at the
Hello Work office. You will need proof that you are not working anymore. This
document is called "Rishokuhyo". It indicates why you left. Basically, if it was
the company's fault, you are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits
straight away. If it was your fault ( e.g. you quit) there is a three month
waiting period before you can collect. It is very important to have this form.
You will also need your employment insurance certificate. No major problem if
you don't have your employment insurance certificate now as they can provide you
with another one if you give them your correct personal information. Having your
employment insurance number would make this much easier. Even if you are
eligible to collect and your paperwork is processed there may still be a wait
until you actually receive a payment. This is because it takes a week or two to
process. Then you have to look for work for a couple of weeks before they will
pay you. Then it depends on how far you are away from their designated pay day.
So it could take up to 6 weeks to get some cash even if you are immediately
eligible.

- If the company goes bankrupt and cannot pay wages, 80% of unpaid wages are
covered by the government. To give you your 80% of unpaid wages, the people
organizing that need to be able to contact you. They will send the necessary
documents to the address they have and if you don't respond they will not look
for you. Luckily, the General Union has agreed to (try to) help Nova instructors
take care of this if the company goes bankrupt. If you are owed wages and change
address, you can send your details to the union and they will pass them on to
the organization dealing with repaying the 80% of lost wages. Send your name,
new address, employee number, branch, phone number, old address, and email
address to nova@generalunion.org .

- At the moment we realize that people are worried and frustrated with what is
going on. The President of the company still has final say over what happens
with your wages. We need to put pressure on him to pay (or if he can't pay, to
declare bankruptcy). He has already broken a long list of laws. The punishment
for not paying us on time is roughly 300,000 yen. Not much really. He was
however directed by the Labor Standards Office to do several things including
pay workers. When Tuesday ticks over he will have violated their previous order.
If prosecuted, that could land him in jail. That is why a group of us are filing
another complaint at the Labor Standards Office on Tuesday. The union is
supporting us there, and the media will also be there. The more people that
attend on Tuesday the more pressure the Labor Standards Office will be under to
act on this. We are meeting at Morinomiya Station (exit 7B) at 10am on Tuesday
the 16th. Spread the word. We really need as many people as we can get there.

[curren]

Just went shopping. Guess what I found. It mainly summarises what we already know pretty much.

Hey, Hollis Brown, could you translate this?

[poxonyou]

Let’s Strike!

What is their to strike about? Nova is over. Strikes are meant to pressure positive changes for workers in normally functioning companies; a company that you planned to continue working in.

[Bobo]

And I hear Japanese prison is like Club Med. I bet they get shiatsu massages and hot springs.

You're 100% wrong there .Japanese prison is one place you don't want to go.

And how the hell would you know?

Anyone who reads reputable journals of opinion would have seen the odd article about how much Japanese prisons are like torture chambers.

Kansai TimeOut had an interesting article about this very topic in their May, 1989 issue.

[Masked Rider]

Let’s Strike!

I'm generally a pro-union guy, when the union is progressive and actually fights, but what is their to strike about? Nova is over. Strikes are meant to pressure positive changes for workers in normally functioning companies; a company that you planned to continue working in.

It's a strike to end NOVA faster. Because apparently 5/6 of teachers still haven't processed it through their heads that it really is. If the strike can generate enough attention, it might finally break through to these people. I say more power to them.

[In The Know]

I don't know mate, when I asked the staff at my branch last week why she thought everything would be A-OK, her eyes seemed to revere monkey dick as a god-like figure as she pointed to his fax promising of sunshine and rainbows. The Japanese have a shockingly short memory when it comes to scandals.

A real bimbo, is she?

[countryboy]

Let’s Strike!

What is their to strike about? Nova is over. Strikes are meant to pressure positive changes for workers in normally functioning companies; a company that you planned to continue working in.

I am not saying 'let's strike'

If you read what I said I am saying a strike is counterproductive. Agreed