Nordic education unions join forces with public authorities to fight pandemic
Information current: 27 March 2020
The COVID 19 outbreak is a public health crisis quite different than anything Europe has faced for many years. As education personnel and their trade unions grapple with the outbreak, we are supporting and informing member organisations in any way we can.
- Montenegro: news of the impact of the pandemic on education
- Kosovo: SBASHK demands signing of Collective Agreement and recognition of teachers’ daily work
- France: education trade unions prepared to strike for decent salaries and quality learning environments
- COVID-19: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control publishes a new study on COVID transmission in schools
- Hungary: ETUCE Member organisation calls for teachers to be among priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination
- Malta: MUT orders a strike after the government denies their request for online teaching
- UK: Education trade unions mobilised to denounce ‘chaotic’ reopening of schools, advising members not to return, prompting government’s U-turn
- Basque Country: thousands of education workers strike for a safe return to school and quality education for all students
- Reopening of schools in the Netherlands: ETUCE Member organisation AOb demands quicker testing and better health and safety measures to protect staff and students and keep schools open
- Education social partners discuss the aftermath of COVID-19 in Europe
- Germany: Ensuring health and safety of teachers requires more efforts for the reopening of schools
- COVID-19: In Italy, 400 000 education workers gather for online rallies to protest for better employment and working conditions during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond
- COVID-19 : NEU report highlights weeks of unanswered questions to the government on the reopening of schools
- German-speaking education trade unions LCH, GÖD and VBE unite for a joint statement on COVID-19 and call for better digital training of teachers
- In Serbia, education trade unions mobilise to advocate for safe return to school for education personnel and students alike at the end of the school year
- Higher education admission procedures risk being disrupted by COVID-19 crisis
- Eurydice reports on closure and reopening of schools and education institutions across Europe
- Remote but not far away: Italy’s FLC-CGIL takes trade union organising online
- Unions in Belgium and Germany join school community voices to demand careful reopening
- In Denmark DLF works hard so that the health and safety of education personnel is protected in back-to-school policies
- In Malta MUT works with government and social partners to guide education system through crisis
- Hungarian trade unions protest plans to force education personnel off public sector contracts
- As France cancels exams, SNES-FSU demands a solution fair to students and teachers
- Spain's FECCOO calls for government action on teacher recruitment
- In Germany VBE insists that lawmakers must consult teachers on COVID-19 legislation
- Teachers in Serbia make education work despite the crisis
- SBASHK supports education staff in Kosovo with the challenges of digital teaching
- ETUCE calls for coordinated and rational measures
- Nordic education unions join forces with public authorities to fight pandemic
- NEU helps staff in England and Wales stay safe and negotiate with leadership
- Russia’s ESEUR holds online Congress in shadow of COVID-19 outbreak
- Romania’s FSLI offers psychological support to teachers
- Albanian education union uses technology to reduce impact of COVID-19
- Estonia shares digital education tools for distance teaching and learning
- Latest information on the closure of schools and other education institutions

Educators in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden are using well-developed social dialogue channels and information technology to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Denmark: Online assistance for union members
In Denmark, the Danish National Federation of Early Childhood and Youth Educators, the Danish Union of Teachers, the Dansk Magisterforening and the Gymnasieskolernes Laererforening – affiliates of Education International – have set up informative and easily accessible webpages focusing on educators’ rights and practical information. The online resources give advice related to health and on how to interact with children. They also outline ways for members to continue their teaching during the school closure. Links to the websites of local education authorities and UNICEF are provided and members are encouraged to follow all official advice on the COVID-19 crisis.
Finland: Dialogue about distance learning, day-care, and duties
In Finland, the government announced a state of emergency on 16 March. Nationwide school closures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 started on 18 March and are set to continue until 13 April. Day-care centres have stayed open but parents are asked to keep their children at home if possible. In addition, parents in jobs critical to the functioning of society who have young children can send their children to specially arranged care. Adjustments to the quarantine of students with particular special needs are also available.
In the meantime, most education is now being delivered via distance teaching/learning. Significantly, educators retain their salaries and rights when they transfer to distance-based teaching.
Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö (OAJ) is fully supportive of the Government’s decisions in this regard and, indeed, partook in discussions with the government in the run-up to the decision to close schools. Close dialogue with the government is ongoing, with two key issues to the forefront:
- Distance teaching requires particular competency, knowledge, equipment, programmes, and education of teachers themselves. Whilst many teachers were familiar with distance-based learning, it has been a new experience for others. The OAJ says employers must ensure that every teacher possesses the adequate skills and equipment to teach under these circumstances.
- In the collective agreements, employers have a right to define where a teacher should undertake their work. Some local authorities have told teachers to deliver their distance teaching from the school premises. This is not advisable in the current situation, and the OAJ has tried to convince employers to allow teachers to work from home. Whilst this happens in most instances, and employers trust their teachers, it is not universal.
In addition, most of the OAJ’s own staff are now working remotely.
Norway: Cooperation and communication
Education International’s three member organisations in Norway – the Norwegian Association of Researchers, Skolenes Landsforbund and Utdanningsforbundet – are cooperating with their government and were consulted prior to the adoption of crisis packages by the Parliament. The education workforce is well protected and (for now) has financial security. All schools, kindergartens and universities are closed, as part of emergency measures that will last until 13 April.
Unions and their members believe in the need to stand together, build trust and show social responsibility. Communication is also vital and the unions are cooperating with the education ministry and employers to provide professional advice to educators.
Students and teachers also all have access to whatever equipment they require and are using educational and school-based platforms.
Sweden: Mix of open schools and distance learning
In Sweden, education unions have focused their efforts on emphasizing the role and safety of their members, since schools remain open to a large extent. While local authorities have a mandate to call for school closures, unions have criticised this and called for national guidelines on whether schools should be closed or not.
In upper secondary and higher education, distance teaching/learning is being implemented and educational institutions are closed.
Education International’s affiliates – Lärarförbundet, Lärarnas Riksförbund and the Swedish Association for University Teachers and Researchers – also provide up-to-date information on developments with links to the website of the education directorate (Skolverket).
Get in touch
The ETUCE Secretariat sends solidarity to all teachers, academics and other education personnel and their education trade unions as they react to and tackle this unprecedented crisis. We invite ETUCE member organisations to inform the ETUCE Secretariat about the challenges you face, how you are responding, which good practices you have developed and can share with colleagues, as well as your needs for support from the ETUCE family. Contact ETUCE at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
This article was initially published on Education International's COVID-19 dossier.