European Trade Union Committee for Education

• Telework challenges in education, gender equality and working conditions
• Education trade unions’ call for more involvement in EU’s next strategic framework of cooperation
• Eurasia Regional GEM Report provides new insights on teachers needs for inclusive education
• EU excludes researchers’ trade unions from the dialogue on the new ERA
• What VET teachers need for quality and inclusive initial vocational education and training
• The importance of public financial support for inclusive higher education
• The European Economic and Social Committee calls for better integration of green skills and competences into education
• COVID-19: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control publishes a news study on COVID transmission in schools
• EIGE: Horizontal gender segregation undermines quality and working conditions in the ECE
• The new European Democracy Action Plan leaves aside social partners and omits to give education a prominent role
• Education and Training Monitor Report 2020: European countries did not meet the ET2020 targets in education
• First European LGBTI Equality Strategy: a step towards a more inclusive society
• ETUCE welcomes the plan to address the digital gap and increase digital literacy
• Challenges and opportunities for teaching and school leadership in the digital area
• New reports on multilingualism: How to create an inclusive multilingual and multicultural environment at school
• New PISA 2018 Report: Investing in teachers enhances students’ achievements and well-being
• The European Court of Justice condemns Hungary for violating academic freedom and the right to education
• FRA: Covid-19 sorely impacted Roma and Travellers
• The “Child Guarantee” needs to support all children to access high quality, inclusive and free early childhood education
• New data on salaries and working conditions of teachers in the new OECD Report “Education at a Glance”
• New European Parliament working document on shaping digital education: support to teaching personnel and inclusion and equality must be central to the New Digital Education Action Plan
• Croatian EU Presidency Conference on teachers and trainers for the future: Towards the ‘New Normal’
• Eurydice: Inclusive Early Childhood Education benefits all children
• Fundamental Rights Report 2020: Limited progress in tackling discrimination and inequality in education
• A small victory for trade unions: EU Gender Pay Transparency Directive will be proposed in 2020
• On International Workers’ Memorial Day, ETUCE commemorates workers that lost their life to COVID-19
• Higher education admission procedures risk being disrupted by COVID-19 crisis
• Inclusive education policies can prevent school failure
• Eurydice reports on closure and reopening of schools and education institutions across Europe
• International Roma Day 2020: EU and Member States must invest in inclusive education to combat poverty and exclusion
• OECD TALIS results: Are teachers and school leaders valued professionals in Europe?
• More work needed to build schools inclusive towards LGBTI students and teachers
• COVID-19 : Latest information on the closure of schools and other education institutions across Europe
• COVID-19: ETUCE calls for coordinated and rational measures to protect education staff and students
• Safer Internet Day: let’s put education at the heart of online safety
• EIGE study: EU and member states must increase their attention to gender issues in education and training policies for migrants and refugees
• New EIGE report: Europe still struggling with gender segregation in education
• New PISA results show the challenges of teaching reading in a digital world
• EU Council of Ministers calls for a new approach to Occupational Health and Safety
• New FRA report shows not all refugee children in the EU have equal access to education
• International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Let’s speak out against violence in the workplace!
• EU research calls for more public spending on education and confirms the positive impact of trade unions and collective bargaining
• Work-life imbalance remains one of the biggest obstacles for gender equality in Europe
• Children in the spotlight on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2019
• Teacher and school head salaries: Eurydice report reveals major differences between countries and education levels
• OECD report: Vocational education and training can contribute to inclusion of young migrants
• #GirlsSpeakOut for a more gender-equal Europe!
• European cybersecurity month: Time to put an end to digital bullying in our schools
• EU celebrates 10th anniversary of the Charter of Fundamental Rights
• World Mental Health Day: Teachers’ wellbeing matters
• EESC opinion calls for more education about the European Union
• Roma people in Europe face many kinds of discrimination. Education systems need funding to respond
• World Teacher’s Day 2019: Our new risk assessment tools mean safer workplaces
• Prestige won’t put food on the table! Teachers take centre stage at the EU Education Summit
• 8th Education and Training Monitor offers a snapshot of Europe’s teachers
• School days, holidays and the academic year: annual reports reveal big differences between European countries
• EU Fundamental Rights Agency finds that migrant women are often doubly disadvantaged
• Global Climate Strike: education for the environment
• Education at a Glance 2019: a look into different educational systems around Europe
• Eurydice Report on Digital Education: Teachers need quality initial and continuous training in digital skills
• EESC: Teachers are Europe's "architects of the future"
• European Education Policy Network on Teachers and School Leaders
• Schools are ‘microcosms of the society’ but social studies still lack behind
• Attracting the best and brightest teachers key to equipping students with the necessary skills
• ILO Convention and Recommendation on violence and harassment at work becomes a reality
• International Labour Conference: EU Statement on Committee on Application of standards Republic of Turkey
• FRA: Inequalities, harassment and prejudices are on the rise across Europe
• Broad policy approach needed to combat multiple causes of gender pay and pension gap
• Refugee education: Integration models and practices in OECD countries
• 2019 Country Specific Recommendations: Still looking for the promised ‘social-rebalancing’
• “The Future Teacher” Conference 2019
• European ministers call for increased investment to language learning and more accessible early childhood education
• School-based activities to address students’ socio-economic background
• Justice & Protection for all citizens on The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia 2019
• Initial Teacher Preparation is the first step in the continuum of teacher learning
• “Step up, Speak up”: deShame project launches resources for schools to tackle online sexual harassment
• New release: A social rebalancing of the European Semester? A public sector trade unions’ analysis
• Work-Life Balance Directive adopted
• Skills forecast 2030 predicts job losses for teachers
• OECD: Teachers need to be well-equipped and supported to work in diverse classrooms
• EU Roma Week 2019: SDGs are closely linked to the needs of Roma communities
• Flexible working conditions essential for a gender-balanced future
• Right to play and participation of children essential in quality early childhood education
• Erasmus+ 2017: what about disadvantaged students and staff?
• #balanceforbetter: equal representation of women in positions of leadership for a bigger brighter future
• Brexit update: no disruption for those going on Erasmus before 30th March!
• European Commission Advisory Committee discusses the future gender equality policy in the EU
• New Eurydice Report: only few education systems have comprehensive strategies for integrating migrant students into schools
• Professional development in compulsory education: a move towards more collaboration, active participation and innovative partnerships
• ETUCE celebrates the first ever International Day of Education!
• Save the date: Early Childhood Education and Care The Nordic Way, International Conference Oslo 26 – 27 March 2019
• One step closer to gender equality in Irish higher education institutions
• ETUCE stands together with migrants on the ‘International Migrants Day’
• Celebrating the international day of persons with disabilities
• It is time to share prosperity: equal access to quality education at the core of the 2019 European Semester
• Celebrating the universal children’s day: Better education is crucial to combat children poverty
• SELFIE tool: Integrating digital technologies in education in the European region
• EU funding in the area of migration – Consultation results published: Easier financial administration and a stronger human-rights approach is needed
• Education and Training Monitor 2018 reveals only 53% of students in the EU feel “European”
• Unequal Pay Day: what factors are holding women back?
• Digitalisation offers plenty of opportunities but are girls availing of them?
• PISA report: early intervention is crucial for equitable education

Today, 8 March 2019, women across Europe, and around the world, are taking to the streets to mark International Women’s Day (IWD). The theme of this year’s campaign is #balanceforbetter, and focuses on the creation of a gender-balanced future where women are equally represented in the labour market and in positions of leadership. Likewise, UNWomen have chosen “think equal, build smart, innovate for change” for this year’s celebration, aimed at shedding light on innovative ways to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women.

At ETUCE, research conducted within the framework of the project Empowering education trade unions to address gender equality in the teaching profession through social dialogue has revealed that women are still under-represented in positions of leadership in upper secondary schools and higher education (only 12% of all rectors in Europe are women) as well as within the governing bodies of education trade unions themselves. Education trade unions are fully committed to the promotion of gender-balanced societies and are actively taking part in this year’s campaign. Some of the activities of member organisations in Europe concern for example, in the UK, where NEU sent out a survey to its members seeking their views on IWD and created twitter boards for members to express their solidarity with this year’s cause which will be spread on social media. In France, members of SNUipp-FSU are participating in the women’s strike in Paris, coordinated by the French trade union confederation, and being symbolically held at 15:40 to underline the persistent gender pay gap in the country. In Spain, FE.CC.OO has summoned a feminist strike for all teachers and students and have delivered promotional material to schools to raise awareness about the unequal working conditions in which Spanish female teachers work.

Susan Flocken, European Director, stated: “We urgently need equal representation in decision-making positions in education institutions and education trade unions. For a fairer and gender-equal teaching profession in Europe, explicit gender policies must be implemented and monitored by education trade unions.” In the framework of ETUCE and its member organisations’ campaign to the European elections in May 2019 ‘Shape the future of Europe with teachers!’, ETUCE has prepared a timeline showing when women received voting rights in countries where ETUCE member organisations are based, which can be accessed here. The European Region of Education International (EI), fully  supports the daily blog entries female education union leaders have posted this week on EI’s website which address gender and education issues, as well as the EI statement on tackling School-Related Gender-Based Violence.

ETUC urges all women to vote in the upcoming European elections and to support women candidates who promote a fairer, gender-equal Europe. What is more, at European level, concerns have been expressed about the risk of backsliding on equality between men and women.  Only one month ago, the European Parliament passed a Resolution which urged Member States, among others, to address gender segregation in the labour market, close the gender pay and pension gap, and enable women to pursue decision-making roles. The European institutions have also organised a series of events to discuss the themes at the heart of this year’s campaign.  Yesterday, 7 March, the event “Born to be leaders” took place at the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union, where high profile officials, national representatives and pioneering women explored ways in which the EU can support women’s careers. Today, top-level women with expertise in cybersecurity have been invited by the European Commission, DG Connect,  to engage in a panel discussion to examine the reasons for the lack of women in the cybersecurity field as well as ways to tackle this phenomenon.

For the first time, Belgian feminist organisations PeriodBrussels and Collecti.e.f 8 maars  are inviting all women in Belgium to cease work and study in order to highlight the crucial role that women play in our society. ETUCE invites education trade unions to join those who are striking today in Belgium, and across Europe for a gender-equal future.