BOG and BOC Informed of OFSA's Creation

The following letter was sent to the BOG and BOC on Monday, 17 December, 2018.

The OIST Faculty and Staff Association

3 Chome-8-14 Nishi, Naha-shi

Okinawa-ken, Japan 900-0036

17 December, 2018

To: Members of the OIST Board of Governors and Board of Councilors

We are writing to inform you that on 29 November, 2018, together with representatives of Rengo Okinawa, the umbrella organization for Okinawan labor unions, we presented Ms. Machi Dilworth, VP for Human Resources, with registered documents announcing the foundation of a labor union at OIST, the OIST Faculty and Staff Association (OFSA). This was necessary in order to address pervasive, persistent problems at the University.

OFSA comprises current and former OIST employees from all over the world. OFSA is dedicated to improving working conditions at the University, because its people are its greatest asset. That asset needs to be appropriately safeguarded. OFSA wants OIST to live up to the ideals in its RespectfulWorkplace Policy, to its Policies, Rules and Procedures, and to its declarations of institutional values. OFSA strives to establish genuine openness, transparency, and accountability in everything that the University does. If OIST is to succeed in its audacious undertaking, it must also be a world-class university ethically. In addition to promoting the welfare of OIST’s employees, OFSA endeavors to help OIST achieve its scientific and educational objectives, and to uphold Japanese law.

Those who desire additional information may contact Risa Sato, Executive Secretary of OFSA, at oist.fsa@protonmail.com.

Sincerely yours,

Steven D. Aird, Chair, OFSA