At the ETUCE Special Conference in Athens, Greece, on 27-28 November 2018, the European education trade union movement kicked off new actions and strategies for empowering education trade unions to shape the future of Europe in light of a rising number of societal and professional challenges. 300 education trade union delegates from 132 national education trade unions at all levels of education from 51 European countries debated and voted on several resolutions, to face the challenges teachers and other education personnel are confronted with and to put forward their vision for quality education as central for fairer European societies and as a vital prerequisite for democracy.

Renewing their call for increasing public investment, effective social dialogue, equality and equity in education, respect for the status of teachers and educators, fair working conditions, and reclaiming the legitimate collective power of education trade unions whose existence allows individual teachers and educators to organise in order to assert control over all aspects of their work and of their profession, delegates adopted the following resolutions:

 

-        Resolution on Shaping the future of Europe: The Role of Education Trade Unions

-        Resolution on Involving teachers in all decisions affecting the profession and the education system

-        Resolution on Education Trade Unions and Youth

-        Resolution on Setting the priorities to develop the ETUCE Action Plan for Equality

-        Resolution on Re-claiming dialogue, gathering and deliberation. Towards an ecology of participatory school practices

-        Resolution on Strengthening academic freedom in Europe

 

“Despite the broad recognition that education is central to develop fair and democratic societies, disparities and inequalities in access to quality education are still growing in Europe, at times when far-right extremism, nationalism and xenophobia upsurge and undermine the European project”, said ETUCE President Christine Blower. “Respect for the status of teachers and educators and recognition of education trade unions are vital elements of quality education and of democracy itself. Today, the European education trade union movement kicks off ambitious priorities for strengthening renewal from the basis, to reinforce solidarity at all levels against fragmentation, social exclusion and widespread impoverishment in society and in schools, in defence of democracy and of the public interest”, Ms Blower concluded.

 

Documents of the Special Conference are available here