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The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) conference highlighted solidarity, unity, and leadership renewal as essential for ensuring the future of public education in Europe. These themes resonated throughout the discussions, emphasizing the need for cohesive and robust union strategies to advocate for educators and the education sector.

Held from November 26th to 27th in Budva, Montenegro, the conference, themed "Fighting for the Future of Public Education in a Social Europe," underscored the critical importance of quality inclusive education systems and the respect for the education workforce throughout the continent.

ETUCE President Larry Flanagan opened the event with a compelling call to action, urging ETUCE to be a formidable campaigning voice in support of educators and public education. “I hope this conference is a catalyst for our ambition and campaigns. There is a sense of renewal and re-energizing the work we are doing,” he said.

Demonstrating the solidarity of the global education union movement, EI’s President Mugwena Maluleke underlined: “Let us be the generation that stands up for public education, for the dignity of teachers, and for a future where knowledge and hope prevail over ignorance and despair”.

The EI leader concluded: “Each generation must discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it. We are that generation- We educate the world”.

For EI General Secretary David Edwards, since the last ETUCE conference, “we double downed in solidarity and trust that a real leadership is in place in these times of challenges and conflicts. Real leaders are running towards trouble. After difficult times, you are stronger. This moment in time will require to hold together for our professions, for public education, for people and their rights, for the future.”

Addressing the ETUCE Conference, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Vice-President Jarkko Eloranta acknowledged the need to ensure quality education and equality of access to education for all children to become future leaders: “We must make sure all children have the right to quality education. We must defend the teaching profession, crucial for fair and inclusive societies.”

Strategic Programme

Delegates also adopted the ETUCE Strategic Programme 2025-2028 setting out the high-level strategy and aims of ETUCE, which are:

• Building member organisation and collective capacity;
• Strengthening campaigning and bargaining activity;
• Influencing public policy on education to improve outcomes for students and enhance the status of the teaching profession; and
• Advocating strongly for democratic and just societies, acting in solidarity where and when required to defend human and trade union rights.

These aims are aligned with the priorities of EI as outlined at the recent EI 10th World Congress and will inform the development of a detailed ETUCE work programme across the 2025-28 mandate. They highlight the need for well-trained and respected teachers and to use the UN High-Level Panel’s recommendations throughout Europe, as well as carefully planning and prioritizing activities.

Fighting for the future of public education in a social Europe

The Resolution “Fighting for the future of public education in a social Europe” unanimously adopted by the delegates reaffirms that “public education is not only a public good, but also a human right. All workers in education need to join ETUCE in this fight, to defend the societal role of education for creating fairer future democracies”.

While public education is “a cornerstone of democracy, social cohesion and human development” and “essential for the empowerment of citizens, the promotion of critical thinking and the respect for diversity,” the resolution notes that “public education in Europe is facing multiple challenges that threaten its quality, inclusiveness and sustainability”.

It therefore asserts the commitment of ETUCE member organizations to “advocate for strong and unwavering support to education as a universal public good and human right, by ensuring and increase of sustainable and reliable public funding from national governments and relevant authorities as the prerequisite for guaranteeing quality and inclusive education for all and for improving working conditions, salaries and pensions in the sector”.

It acknowledges that education trade unions “mobilise for upholding and strengthening social dialogue and collective bargaining at all levels, particularly reinforcing national practices, by setting strategies aiming at the improvement of employment and working conditions of teachers, school leaders, academics, researchers and other education personnel, and for the renewal and organising of trade union organisations”.

It also encourages education trade unions to “amplify and expound EI’s ‘Go Public! Fund Education’ campaign in the European context”.

Delegates at the ETUCE Conference further adopted the Resolution “Union action to address the global teacher shortage,” a 44 million additional teachers are required by 2030 to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for education. This resolution indicates that ETUCE will support affiliates “to lobby governments to strengthen publicly provided education systems and cease all investments in for-profit schooling including through intermediated investments, recognising this as the only equitable and sustainable route to strengthen the teacher workforce and achieve education for all”.

The document also calls on governments to “implement in full the recommendations of the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession and the Global Report on Teachers,” and “support the recruitment, retention and training of gender-balanced numbers of qualified teachers, through increased development cooperation and long-term and flexible funding partnerships, prioritising countries with the highest number of out-of-school children and where shortages of qualified teachers are greatest”.

Following this resolution, ETUCE members will also push their governments to “work with the international community to establish and resource a Global Fund for Teachers’ Salaries”.

Harnessing AI in education

The adopted ETUCE policy paper sets forth the vision and priorities of education trade unions in Europe on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies on education.

Recognising the duality of AI embedding both risks and opportunities for education staff, the policy paper aims to: Set out overarching essential principles to ensure a beneficial impact of AI on education staff; Identify the main impact of AI on education staff, their rights and working conditions. And put forward recommendations for ETUCE and its member organisations.

The delegates agreed on guiding principles, identified as essential conditions that must be respected to ensure that AI in education is used responsibly and effectively. Respecting these principles is essential to ensure that technologies do not harm fundamental human and workers' rights, promote inclusion and diversity, and uphold democratic values.

The ETUCE Conference further mandates ETUCE to support education trade unions in identifying the evolving impact of Artificial Intelligence-enabled technologies on education through training activities and continuous research. Member organizations should also share insights and foster education trade union strategies to assess the impact of emerging European regulations (e.g., AI Act, upcoming Council of Europe’s Convention on AI and Education).

Call for peace

An ETUCE Conference’s focal moment was the adoption of a Statement on Peace.

Stressing that “education is a powerful tool for conflict prevention and resolution, and investment in inclusive public education for all must be prioritised as a means to build lasting peace,” the document recognizes “the paramount importance of fostering a culture of peace and respect for human dignity within our communities and imparting values of tolerance, dialogue, and understanding among future generations.

ETUCE believes that current concepts of teaching history as a string of wars, conflicts and political acts should be subject to deep reflection, and calls “for a change in the approaches to teaching this vital subject so that the teaching of history should prepare future generations to look to the future, not to wallow in stereotypes and prejudices or be subjected to brainwashing”.

The statement concludes: “In solidarity with affected communities, calling for peace, based on recognising the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country, and ensuring that aggressor countries are sanctioned so that justice can be achieved, and in pursuit of a more just and peaceful world, ETUCE reaffirms its commitment to advocating for peace, promoting non-violent conflict resolution, and fostering dialogue and understanding among all peoples. Let us harness the collective voice and strength of trade unions to work together to build a future where peace prevails, where the dignity and rights of every individual are respected, and where education serves as a beacon of hope for generations to come.

This statement is backed by a Resolution on Protecting and supporting education in times of war and armed conflict, also adopted in Budva.

Through this document, the European education unions delegations in particular call to: Use all available opportunities to bring wars and conflicts to a speedy end on the basis of international law; Strengthen international solidarity and ensure coordination of efforts to support the education system in countries during wartime and in the recovery period; Use diplomatic and international channels to draw attention to educational needs and to draw the attention of parties to armed conflicts to the unacceptability of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including educational infrastructure.

They also demand the introduction in educational programs of “a more in-depth study of the concepts of peace, tolerance, respect for ethnic, racial, religious, cultural diversity, patriotism, national identity, territorial integrity and sovereignty in order to build a holistic understanding of the culture of peace for the common good and to prevent bloody conflicts in the future”.

Key resolutions adopted

Other important resolutions were also adopted during the ETUCE Conference, including:

• Uniting against separation and hate – For inclusion and equity.
• Resisting right-wing populism and extremism in Europe.
• Tackling the rise of the far-right.
• Fighting the negative impacts of the right-wing trade unions, strengthened in parallel to the rising far right, on the labour struggle of the working class.
• Research and innovation: Supporting fundamental research for resilient societies.
• Defending higher education and research in an age of crises.
• Preparing ETUCE for future challenges.

Elections of the new ETUCE leadership

Delegates also elected the Committee to lead the ETUCE for the period 2025-2029. In particular, the new ETUCE Bureau is composed as follows:

• John MacGabhann, TUI/Ireland: President.
• Lasse Bjerg Jørgensen, BUPL/Denmark: Vice-President.
• Rob Copeland, UCU/UK: Vice-President.
• Julien Farges, SNES-FSU/France: Vice-President.
• Valentina Ilic, TUS/Serbia : Vice-President.
• Dorota Obidniak, ZNP/Poland: Vice-President.
• Cuqui Vera Belmonte, FECCOO/Spain: Vice-President.

Together, they will bring a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to ensuring that teachers’ voices are heard in shaping the future of education.