OIST Gets Sued Again

The following article appeared in the Okinawa Times:

It was learned that a female nurse who worked in the Health Center at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) filed for temporary preservation of her job and wages at Naha District Court, claiming that it was unfair that she was terminated at the end of March.

In its response, OIST said, "We will not comment on individual personnel matters."

The filing took place on the fifth of this month. The written application claims that the woman started working in November 2016 at the OIST Health Center on a fixed-term contract, which was renewed once previously. Of the three nurses there, the woman was mainly responsible for work at the OIST Clinic, which has been operated together with the Health Center. OIST did not renew her contract, which concluded on 19 March, saying that the Clinic needed to reduce its staffing due to shortening of its business hours.

The woman applied for an intervention by the Okinawa Labor Bureau this February, but it ended inconclusively as there was no prospect of resolution. She proceeded to file an injunction for temporary preservation of her job.

The woman said that OIST's medical services are at risk because Health Center employees are leaving one after another. “I want to return to help rebuild the Health Center."