Sustainability
With Employees
Labor-Management Initiatives
Labor Union
NGK respects workers' rights, including the right to collective bargaining, and strives to build healthy labor-management relations. As of March 31, 2020, 3,995 employees belonged to the Labor Union.
Labor Union Membership Rate
(%)
| March 31, 2017 | March 31, 2018 | March 31, 2019 | March 31, 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89 | 94 | 96 | 97 |
Note: Number of union employees / Number of NGK employees (excluding managers)(Both figures include contract manufacturing employees)
Protecting the Right to Collective Bargaining
NGK and the Labor Union have signed a labor agreement as equal partners. The agreement specifies that both
parties shall respect each other's rights and take responsibility for the exercising of their own rights.
The two sides regularly hold Labor-Management Advisory Board meetings to exchange information and promote mutual understanding. They also maintain healthy labor-management relations by exchanging opinions on issues such as management policies, financial conditions, and activities of the Labor Union.
Collective bargaining sessions are held in an orderly manner, with both parties striving in good faith to resolve
issues peacefully and promptly.
Labor-Management Consultations in FY2019
Regular Labor-Management Council meeting: held twice
Labor-Management Advisory Board meeting: held twice
Other bargaining and consultations
- Consultation on overtime work and work on days off
- Consultation on revision of the agreement
- Consultation on measures to rectify long working hours
Guaranteeing the Minimum Wage
NGK and the Labor Union have signed an agreement that sets out original in-house minimum wages, which are fixed at a rate above the minimum wages by region and industry stipulated by the Minimum Wage Act. Through this agreement, we strive to improve employees' working conditions and avoid violation of relevant laws.
Communication between Labor and Management
NGK makes an effort to build labor-management relations founded on mutual trust through communication with various consultative bodies, such as the Labor-Management Advisory Board, the Worksite Advisory Board, and the Regular Labor-Management Council.
NGK and the Labor Union hold Labor-Management Advisory Board meetings to talk about business conditions and performance, and Worksite Advisory Board meetings to share issues pertaining to manufacturing, work systems, and workplace environments from each worksite. In addition, at Regular Labor-Management Council meetings, labor and management also proactively exchange opinions.
Survey on Workplace Vitality
Once every two years NGK carries out a survey aimed at gauging and visualizing workplace vitality.
In the fiscal 2018 survey, responses from 4,370 employees on a range of matters, such as how satisfied they are with their jobs and how important they consider their jobs, were compared with the average responses for other companies and were shown to rank relatively high.
The results of the survey serve as basic data, which facilitate discussion about personnel-related initiatives to create a
more work-friendly organizational environment that offers employees a sense of challenge. In addition, the results from each workplace are provided as feedback to the respective manager, and each department considers and works on measures to help improve the daily work environment.
