To the company that prizes Ethical Buying (LUSH Japan)- How about Ethical Employing?

Japan has been under the State of Emergency since early April, urging non-essential businesses and locations such as shopping malls to close for public safety. Though this may have slowed the spread of the virus, many store-workers and people in the service industry now found themselves out of work. Instead of full salaries, most received a reduced rate of 60% until stores could re-open again - only to then be told that their contracts would not be renewed. 

This article in Japanese is here. LUSHに雇い止め撤回と休業補償100％支払いを求めて、団体交渉の申し入れをしました！

One of the companies that did this, is the famous cosmetics brand LUSH Japan. This is my story.

I've been employed by LUSH Japan since mid-2017 and have always enjoyed working for them. I was a Full-Time Sales Assistant at a busy branch store in Tokyo until changing my contract to part-time per January 1st, 2020. I took pride and joy in my work, feeling like I was making a difference in someone else's day. Selling sustainable and ethically sourced products, with a genuine love for the brand and appreciation for the customer's choice and needs, made me feel useful and appreciated in return.

Sadly, most of those warm feelings evaporated at the end of May 2020, when I was told by my store manager that they were "forced to" discontinue all part-time worker contract renewals, including mine. This came right after I had confirmed with the same manager that I fully intended to keep on working for them.

At that exact moment, I felt sadness but understanding. LUSH wasn't the only company struggling with the Covid-19 crisis. Stores around the country had reduced opening times and finally closed entirely since early April, and the travel-ban meaning no foreign inbound customers had already been a huge dip in revenue. So, truthfully I had expected this to happen. I had seen the same thing take place in the US and had till now felt grateful to still be employed by LUSH Japan, though our monthly salaries had been reduced to 60%. Sadly, that too would now come to an end.

However, I tried to see the silver lining; since it was the company's decision to let us go, we would all be entitled to more unemployment benefits, right? Besides, my store manager had promised with tears in her eyes that they would hire us back as soon as they were able. With the State of Emergency looking to be lifted soon and stores re-opening from June, I accepted the company's decision with hope for it only being temporary.

Their decision, not mine

My next unpleasant surprise came a few days later in the mail. My resignation letter in English and Japanese, to be filled in but only sporting the option: "I resign from LUSH Japan as of DD/MM/YYYY"... What? Surely this was a mistake? It was true my contract was ending, but the decision to not renew it was made by LUSH, not by me.

I immediately contacted my manager, but she merely advised me to sign it. I decided against that and asked the other part-time staff, who were in the same situation, what they had done. Most of them had already signed it, but after I explained to them my doubts, they agreed the tone of the letter felt very off.

Next, I contacted the main office to explain my problem with the wording. Furthermore, doing research in the meantime with the help of my Japanese husband, he had shown me how the Japanese government was providing companies with support so they wouldn't need to fire their employees. So why was LUSH Japan still doing so?

I never received clear answers to those questions. Email contact and debate with their People Support yielded no more than explanations of how LUSH was not in the wrong for not renewing my contract. Indeed, their actions may in fact not be illegal, but are they ethical? Not quite. Especially not during a crisis of this magnitude.

Unsure of what to do, I asked around on a Foreign Workers in Japan blog and was advised to contact a Labor Union. This is how I found the General Support Union and how I found the people willing to support and stand with me. Instantly I felt less alone and more confident that even a single person can make a change if they try.

Yesterday (June 30), the Union submitted our demands to LUSH Japan, urging them to have collective bargaining on some of the issues surrounding part-time workers in the near future. 

Our demands
1) Renewal/extension of part-time employee contracts, not rendering anyone jobless
2) 100% payment of reduced salaries during closures

Where we are now

I'm writing this blog about a month after the State of Emergency was lifted, and numbers of positive tests have again been steadily on the increase in Tokyo. Even if the stores are able to operate safely at this point, a newly imposed lockdown might be looming. Uncertainty for the near future is highly prevalent among us retail workers, and many have already lost their jobs or are facing longer terms of temporary unemployment. Difficulty in finding new employment is another addition to the mental stress many of us are facing.

Part-time workers, those working fewer hours than required for Unemployment Insurance, also deserve protection during these unprecedented times. They can be students, single parents, all kinds of individuals in all kinds of situations who may not have a supportive partner or family they can fall back on once they lose their income. Though the Japanese government has implemented special benefits and loans for those affected by the Covid-19 crisis, it is high time employers provide fair and equal support not only to their contractors, but all of their employees. Even if they are not required to by law - it is, quite simply, the ethical thing to do.

Companies need to be held responsible for their actions, especially those who place high importance on ethics. I expected more from LUSH, and genuinely hope they realize this is an opportunity of growth for themselves. If they can make true on their claims and genuinely care and support for all their workers, only then will I recognize them as truly ethical once more.

If you too have lost your job, your company is not renewing your contract, or you have only received 60% of your salary due to the corona-crisis these recent months, feel free to contact the General Support Union at info@sougou-u.jp.