Altia Central proudly declares on its website that it is “a company specialising in dispatching foreign Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) to public schools throughout Japan.” Yet, at Kyoto Prefectural high schools where the company dispatches ALTs, wages have been cut year after year.
| School Year | Dispatch Company | Monthly Salary | Bonus |
| 2023 | Altia Central | ¥240,000 | ¥180,000 |
| 2024 | Heart Corporation | ¥225,000 | None |
| 2025 | Altia Central | ¥210,000 | ¥60,000 |
While JET Programme ALTs now earn ¥335,000 per month, Altia Central pays barely two-thirds of that amount. In the middle of rising prices and ongoing inflation, the company still went ahead with wage cuts for its ALTs.
We have continued collective bargaining with the company under the slogan “Pay a wage we can live on in Kyoto!” and demanded the following:
① Raise the monthly wage from ¥210,000 to ¥250,000
② Provide a contract completion bonus equivalent to one month’s salary
At the 5 November collective bargaining session, we made it clear that “the union may exercise its legally recognised rights, including the right to strike.” However, no agreement was reached. Even worse, the company president failed to attend and showed no intention of sincerely addressing members’ demands or resolving the issue.
Strike notice issued on 10 November
In response to Altia Central’s continued bad faith, we notified the company on 10 November that an indefinite strike would begin on 12 November. We will continue our struggle until our demands are met.
Our goal is simple: to work with stability and dignity. That benefits not only the ALTs themselves but also the quality of education for the students they teach.
We call on everyone to stand with us in solidarity.