Some people believe that all they can trust in is luck and their own resources. As a Union member however, you will find that there is strength in unity, just as members at other universities have done. Working together with the union and your fellow teachers, you CAN get a hearing for your concerns, and you CAN have a say in how your workplace is run. We believe that the relationship between employer and workers should be fair and beneficial to both sides. In the case of universities, teachers should work diligently for the sake of their students. Employers of teachers should accept responsibility towards them as human beings, instead of treating them as throwaway resources. Yet there are many universities which fail to enrol part-time teachers on the private schools health insurance fund, depriving them of the minimum social protection enjoyed by most other workers. There’s no good reason to think of this situation as “normal”. It isn’t! “I’ll join the Union if I have a problem…” By that time, a solution might already be impossible. Experience shows that establishing a relationship between a Union branch and a university and negotiating long-term safeguards for teachers’ conditions is a better strategy than calling on a union to attempt to spot-fix problems as they arise. The GU has fought pay cuts, reductions in the number of classes, and non-renewal of teachers’ contracts at universities in Kansai. Now, together with the PUTU, we will be bargaining with Meijo University for better conditions for our members. Why not join us to win a better life for yourself and your family? Please contact us to find out more and feel free to share your concerns with us.