The General Union and the Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education held an information exchange meeting in the Kyoto Prefectural Office conference room on Tuesday, December 24th. The discussion included topics such as direct employment of three ALT union members working at Kyoto Prefectural High Schools and the issuance of Special Teaching Licenses.

Four representatives from the Kyoto Board of Education attended, including the High School Education Division Manager. From the GU side, three union members and their families participated, along with two executive officers.

Following their previously submitted document “What We Want to Tell the Board of Education”, the three union members spoke in Japanese about their experiences, particularly their anxiety about unemployment between February and April this year. The members also raised questions and concerns about the Board of Education. They specifically reported how the current tender system causes employment insecurity and stress, and how the dispatch company headquartered in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, provides almost no training or guidance. We pointed out that the tender system fails to evaluate individual ALTs’ skills and experience during hiring, and that the Board of Education also doesn’t conduct such evaluations; it is all down to the money. Finally, members raised concerns about how this might negatively impact English education for students.

The Board of Education representatives responded that while they couldn’t comment on specific matters like employment and wages, they appreciated hearing valuable opinions directly from ALTs. The BoE acknowledged the need to better understand ALTs’ situations by listening to their voices through schools more closely in future.

The General Union raised the following demands and issues:
1. Direct employment of the three dispatched ALT union members
2. Consideration of issuing Special Teaching Licenses to ALTs
3. While 29 JET Programme ALTs at Kyoto Prefectural High Schools do the same work, there’s a significant wage gap – JET ALTs receive ¥280,000/month (first year with increases each year up to five years) while union members who are dispatched averaged ¥225,500/month from April to September. They questioned whether this gap violates the principle of equal pay for equal work.

Both parties agreed to continue discussions as needed.

Following this meeting, GU will focus on these priorities:
1. Primary focus: Securing employment for the three union members after April next year
2. Working with Kyoto Prefectural Assembly members toward abolishing the ALT tender system
3. Organizing ALTs working under the Kyoto Board of Education, including JET Programme ALTs.