The 78-Year History of Kyoto University Labor Union

We are the largest labor union at Kyoto University, representing its faculty and staff.

Kyoto University Labor Union was established in 1948; since then, we have consistently campaigned to protect employment and improve wages and working conditions for all faculty and staff. While issues surrounding non-regular employees—such as part-time and dispatched staff—have recently garnered significant public attention, our union has dedicated itself to improving the treatment of non-regular workers within the university since its very inception.

Our base of operations is Kyoto University—an institution dedicated to education, research, and medical care. As university employees, you surely appreciate the vital importance of basic research. In recent years, however, funding has increasingly been concentrated on research that yields readily visible results, while the foundational funding that supports basic research—which often takes longer to produce tangible outcomes—has been steadily cut. Deeply concerned by this trend, our union is actively working to address the situation by joining forces with professionals in education, research, and healthcare across the country.