European Trade Union Committee for Education

On 7-8 October 2026, the third Peer Learning Activity (PLA) of the East SD project brought together representatives of education trade unions, employers' organisations and ministries of education in Podgorica, Montenegro. Participants from across Central and Eastern Europe exchanged experiences and good practices on improving teachers' well-being and addressing psychosocial risks in the education sector through effective social dialogue.

The discussions highlighted that teacher well-being cannot be reduced to individual resilience or coping strategies alone. Participants emphasised the need to address psychosocial risks through collective agreements, workplace policies and preventive organisational measures. Examples presented during the peer learning activity included protected breaks and recovery time, collaborative working arrangements, access to psychological support, burnout-prevention training, and the establishment of psychosocial support teams within schools and education institutions.

Participants examined experiences from different countries demonstrating how social dialogue can help identify the reasons why education personnel leave the profession. A recurring theme throughout the event was the strong link between well-being, workload and work-life balance. Participants discussed how hidden overtime, increasing administrative burdens and expectations of constant digital availability contribute to stress and exhaustion among teachers and academics. In this context, social partners stressed the importance of working-time arrangements, occupational safety and health (OSH) policies, and right-to-disconnect measures as essential tools for preventing psychosocial risks and supporting a healthy working environment.

The discussions built on existing European social partner commitments. Participants reflected on the 2023 ETUCE-EFEE Framework of Actions on the Attractiveness of the Teaching Profession, which links the attractiveness of the profession to workload, work-life balance, professional autonomy and occupational health and safety. The event also highlighted the 2025 ETUCE-EFEE Joint European Guidelines on Preventing Psychosocial Risks in Education, which promote a comprehensive prevention approach based on social dialogue, worker participation, risk assessment, training and continuous monitoring.

The Podgorica meeting once again demonstrated the value of bringing together trade unions, employers and public authorities to exchange experiences and develop common approaches to shared challenges. As education systems across Europe continue to face teacher shortages and retention difficulties, strengthening social dialogue and investing in measures that support the well-being of education personnel remain essential for building attractive, sustainable and high-quality education systems.