I don't want to stay at home!
Jan. 9th, 2006 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naruki_oniSo I took Friday off, having already worked the full 8 hour day plus.
You may remember me talking about my manager in another post somewhere. He was my first manager, then I got shuffled to someone else, then I got shuffled back. Anyway, recent events revealed that, rather than being the "good guy" in management, he is every bit as greedy, self-serving, and backstabbing as the rest of the management (which is pretty much).
It was brought to my attention that he wanted to have a meeting with me, probably to discuss getting me to work for his company (yes, one of the reasons he doesn't do his job here is because he has his own company somewhere else). I was also warned not to trust him.
This puts me smack in the middle of the thing I dread the most about working (other than getting let go): Office Politics.
Sure enough, just before the new year he asked to meet with me and my SO (to translate and help make important decisions). I demurred, hoping he would forget. He didn't. A few days later he repeated his request and asked me to pick a day. I put it off until this week.
I do not want to switch to another company that I will have to quit as soon as I find another job (and I will have to quit that company). I do not want to piss him off by refusing, as he does have some power. And I do not want to piss off the big boss and pals by being seen as a potential traitor. At least until I get another job, then they can say whatever they want.
But I haven't gotten that job yet. It's a very uncomfortable position.
Well, I was planning to set up the meeting for next Friday. That would mean we could avoid making big decisions too soon. As you'll recall if you read the previous entry, I worked almost 22 hours from Thursday, so I took off last Friday.
Round about 2:30 Friday my manager sent me an email, naturally using the company email, and which I only chanced to download from home shortly before sleeping. It being all in Japanese save the "Happy New Year!" subject, I assumed it was a fluffy letter saying thanks for the hard work.
No such luck.
I got my SO to read it, and she went ape shit. Yesterday I got some other friends to read it, and I finally got a clear translation.
He informed me that my salary was being cut back to the original "trial period" salary, and added a little complaint that he tried to meet with me to explain. Not a word about me working extra hard.
Anyway, given the political situation, I had no idea if this idea originated with him or with the big boss - his letter didn't specify. Either proposition makes sense, but neither is justified.
Fortunately, after talking with some others and doing a little research, I also learned that it's not legal. Apparently there has to be just cause for such a reduction, it has to be discussed beforehand with the employees, and it cannot exceed 10% per pay period. Their proposed reduction amounts to more than a 30% reduction in my pay.
Tsk tsk.
So I am setting up that dreaded meeting for Wednesday. I go back to work on Tuesday, whereupon I will finally get a copy of my contract (another of their legal violations) from a friend. If necessary (for example, if the contract doesn't actually exist), we will use our bank statements to prove that they had given us the raise. We are also going to contact the government employment authority to get advice.
When we go to the meeting Wednesday, we will be loaded for bear.
Being a realist, I know they may do it anyway (they are very unprofessional and might not believe they can't do anything they want), and they could conceivably get away with it (you never know).
The only comforting thought is that I am not in this alone. I have heard that several others were also targetted. I am pretty sure that the wastrels in the management office didn't get hit at all, or at least not as hard, and that just adds insult to injury.
But if they do try to claim grounds such as being late or not working hard, I will sue them for discrimination. I at least went to work every day, unlike several of the management people who took fake leave while the big boss was out. I also did my work AND solved problems for others who couldn't do their own jobs.
The fact that the law states they cannot fire me for these discussions is also a big relief.
It is my hope that they will just drop all this nonsense and let me work out my term, however short I can make it.
But if they decide to play hardball, I am going, for once in my life, to stand up and spike the fucking ball on the return. In their face, if possible.
You may remember me talking about my manager in another post somewhere. He was my first manager, then I got shuffled to someone else, then I got shuffled back. Anyway, recent events revealed that, rather than being the "good guy" in management, he is every bit as greedy, self-serving, and backstabbing as the rest of the management (which is pretty much).
It was brought to my attention that he wanted to have a meeting with me, probably to discuss getting me to work for his company (yes, one of the reasons he doesn't do his job here is because he has his own company somewhere else). I was also warned not to trust him.
This puts me smack in the middle of the thing I dread the most about working (other than getting let go): Office Politics.
Sure enough, just before the new year he asked to meet with me and my SO (to translate and help make important decisions). I demurred, hoping he would forget. He didn't. A few days later he repeated his request and asked me to pick a day. I put it off until this week.
I do not want to switch to another company that I will have to quit as soon as I find another job (and I will have to quit that company). I do not want to piss him off by refusing, as he does have some power. And I do not want to piss off the big boss and pals by being seen as a potential traitor. At least until I get another job, then they can say whatever they want.
But I haven't gotten that job yet. It's a very uncomfortable position.
Well, I was planning to set up the meeting for next Friday. That would mean we could avoid making big decisions too soon. As you'll recall if you read the previous entry, I worked almost 22 hours from Thursday, so I took off last Friday.
Round about 2:30 Friday my manager sent me an email, naturally using the company email, and which I only chanced to download from home shortly before sleeping. It being all in Japanese save the "Happy New Year!" subject, I assumed it was a fluffy letter saying thanks for the hard work.
No such luck.
I got my SO to read it, and she went ape shit. Yesterday I got some other friends to read it, and I finally got a clear translation.
He informed me that my salary was being cut back to the original "trial period" salary, and added a little complaint that he tried to meet with me to explain. Not a word about me working extra hard.
Anyway, given the political situation, I had no idea if this idea originated with him or with the big boss - his letter didn't specify. Either proposition makes sense, but neither is justified.
Fortunately, after talking with some others and doing a little research, I also learned that it's not legal. Apparently there has to be just cause for such a reduction, it has to be discussed beforehand with the employees, and it cannot exceed 10% per pay period. Their proposed reduction amounts to more than a 30% reduction in my pay.
Tsk tsk.
So I am setting up that dreaded meeting for Wednesday. I go back to work on Tuesday, whereupon I will finally get a copy of my contract (another of their legal violations) from a friend. If necessary (for example, if the contract doesn't actually exist), we will use our bank statements to prove that they had given us the raise. We are also going to contact the government employment authority to get advice.
When we go to the meeting Wednesday, we will be loaded for bear.
Being a realist, I know they may do it anyway (they are very unprofessional and might not believe they can't do anything they want), and they could conceivably get away with it (you never know).
The only comforting thought is that I am not in this alone. I have heard that several others were also targetted. I am pretty sure that the wastrels in the management office didn't get hit at all, or at least not as hard, and that just adds insult to injury.
But if they do try to claim grounds such as being late or not working hard, I will sue them for discrimination. I at least went to work every day, unlike several of the management people who took fake leave while the big boss was out. I also did my work AND solved problems for others who couldn't do their own jobs.
The fact that the law states they cannot fire me for these discussions is also a big relief.
It is my hope that they will just drop all this nonsense and let me work out my term, however short I can make it.
But if they decide to play hardball, I am going, for once in my life, to stand up and spike the fucking ball on the return. In their face, if possible.
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-09 09:51 pm (UTC)Also, an off topic question:
How hard is it to immigrate to Japan? I've heard it's a fairly hard process, but with the way things are running in the US, I want to get the hell out of here, ASAP. Japan happens to be on my list of places that interest me(and it pretty much has a permanant spot there, now that I've been there), and I'd kinda like to know how hard it is to get in, become a citizen, and live there.
I'm not entirely sure.
Date: 2006-01-09 10:40 pm (UTC)They have a high teacher turnover rate. Partly because people are just trying to have a foreign experience, but also because they burn out pretty fast.
But that may be your chance to finding that certain someone...
Re: I'm not entirely sure.
Date: 2006-01-10 02:25 am (UTC)I need out of the US. >.
Re: I'm not entirely sure.
Date: 2006-01-10 02:27 am (UTC)*thwaps LJ*