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The settlement protects employees’ right to join a union and the union’s right to organise workers at AOKI.



“This is a break through for the union and the company that will improve relations between management and the workers,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. “We wish them a productive relationship.”



AOKI Group Workers’ Union reached a full settlement with its employers, AOKI Holdings Inc. and AOKI Inc., on 1 August 2011 at the Kanagawa Prefecture Local Labour Relations Commission.



All appeals by the Union were accepted in the settlement as follows;



1. AOKI managements shall admit that their actions, which could be regarded forcing workers to disaffiliate from the Union, were inappropriate and express their regret for their actions.

2. AOKI managements shall recognize their relationship with the Union as the axis of industrial relations and pursue stable industrial relations jointly with the Union.

3. AOKI managements shall not give unfair treatment to the workers who newly join or re-join the Union in the future.

4. AOKI managements shall not interfere or intervene in legitimate actions of the Union to recruit workers.

5. AOKI managements and the Union shall hold regular meetings participated by the board members (including President Aoki as much as possible) in principle in order to further strengthen trust between labour and management.

6. AOKI managements shall extend maximum assistance to the procedures for re-affiliation such as check-off when the workers who were forced to disaffiliate from the Union by the managements wish to re-join the Union.



UNI unions around the world stood in global solidarity with UI Zensen members in their fight for union rights. A solidarity statement in support of the workers was endorsed by the UNI World Congress in Nagasaki in November.