The Grievance Procedures of the General Union: Balancing the Establishment of Collective Labor Relations and Resolving Individual Labor Disputes

Abstract

This study aims to describe the actual use of grievance procedures by the General Union (GU) in Japan and to elucidate its characteristics. In Japan, grievance procedures typically function as private dispute resolution systems established by agreements between labor and management within companies. However, GU utilizes grievance procedures even in companies without such agreements. On the other hand, Community Unions propose collective bargaining to resolve individual labor disputes of union members. GU employs grievance procedures to mitigate the burden of collective bargaining on individual grievances, focusing on fostering and sustaining collective labor relations while expanding its organizational reach.