University Teachers Union
The University Teachers Union (UTU, 大学教員組合) is a member union of the 2,200-strong National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu (NUGW Tokyo Nambu, 全国一般労働組合東京南部), an affiliate of the National Trade Unions Council, Zenrokyo (全国労働組合連絡協議会).
UTU represents both part-time and full-time university teachers in the Tokyo area. Our aims are:
- to maintain and improve the working conditions of our members
- to offer solidarity to fellow trade unionists in Japan and overseas
- to challenge discrimination based on ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation
- to work towards the creation of working environments in which professionalism and quality education are promoted
UTU’s two primary functions are:
- To act as an English-language forum for teachers to express views about problems that affect all university instructors openly and without fear of reprisal—a concern for teachers in many school-organized unions.
- To negotiate between schools and union members through our parent union NUGW Tokyo Nambu.
Anyone, regardless of nationality, currently teaching or working as a researcher full- or part-time at a national or private university in Japan, is eligible for membership in UTU.