The National Railway Workers Union (Kokuro) and the All Japan Construction, Transport and General Workers’ Union (Zendoro, currently Kenkoro-Tetsudo Honbu) have led a bitter struggle against the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT). The basis of their complaint has been that their members were not hired by the new Japan Railways companies at the time of the division and privatisation of Japan National Railways in 1987 simply because they were Kokuro members.
On 28 June 2010, the Supreme Court finally settled the dispute between the 1,047 former workers and the JRTT. The agency agreed to pay a total of 20 billion JPY (22 million JPY per worker) in settlement money to 904 plaintiffs. However, as the workers were not reinstated, it was not a full settlement.