All teachers and education support personnel have the right to organise and be part of a union that represents and defends their values and interests. However, around the world, education unions are facing serious attacks and operate in increasingly challenging and hostile environments. Revitalising unions, building their power by boosting membership and active participation and maximising impact is the way forward.
“Open a school, and you will close a prison.” – Victor Hugo
Teaching abolition
Trade unions worldwide continue to protest at the continued harassment, random judicial proceedings and detention of members and leaders of the teacher union Egitim Sen and Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK).
Turkish unionists remain in jail
Escalating violence in Honduras against those protesting the military coup of 28 June has left two teachers dead: Roger Abraham Vallejo and Martín Florencio Rivera.
Teachers killed in violent repression in Honduras
Teachers and their unions should "be the engines of real change in education," Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, told thousands of educators meeting in Washington, D.C. from 13-15 July.
USA: Education reform must be good for kids and fair to teachers
In recent weeks, EI member organisation Egitim-Sen and the Confederation of Public Employees’ Unions (KESK) – to which EI’s member is affiliated – have suffered a series of attacks by the Turkish authorities, including the occupation and searches of the trade union premises by the security forces, arrest and preventive...
EI launches Urgent Action Appeal for Turkey
Education International, together with other Global Unions and a hundred trade unionists and human rights activists, demonstrated on 26 June in front of the Iranian Embassy in Brussels to demand justice for Iranian workers.
EI joins with other trade unions to demand rights for workers and a free society in Iran
Education International, together with International Trade Union Confederation, the European transport workers’ Federation, and other trade unionists, human rights activists and concerned individuals, will gather in front of the Iranian Embassy at 1.00 pm on Friday 26 June, at this Iran Action Day, to protest the lack of union rights...
EI to participate in Iran Action Day protest events on 26 June
Demonstrations at Iranian embassies and consulates in Bangkok, Canberra, London, New Delhi, Tokyo and Wellington, among others, are some of the protests that have now been scheduled for an action day on Iran on June 26th. Four global union organisations representing over 170 million workers have called the worldwide action...
Embassy protests spearhead Iran action day
EI and its member organizations in the United States request your support for their campaign to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). The act would protect American workers’ rights to join unions and to bargain collectively, free from employer intimidation and threats of dismissal.
Urgent Action Appeal USA: Support for the Employee Free Choice Act
Education International has written to the government of Turkey to condemn the fact that more than 30 members of Egitim Sen, EI’s Turkish affiliate, were arrested in the early hours of 28 May. In a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, EI deplores this latest police action against...
Turkish teacher activists arrested
EI has launched an Urgent Appeal today appealing for support from all member and partner organisations to lobby the Ethiopian authorities to allow the members of the ex-Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA) to register a new independent teacher organisation.
EI launches Urgent Action Appeal for support for its affiliate in Ethiopia
Four global union organisations representing over 170 million workers have called a worldwide action day on June 26 to demand justice for Iranian workers. Demonstrations will take place outside Iranian embassies and consulates to protest the ongoing denial of rights and arrests of trade unionists within the country.
World protests to demand union rights for Iranian workers
Sajad Khaksari, the 25-year-old son of one of Iran’s leading teacher trade unionists, was arrested on 26 April in Tehran and remains in detention in Ward 10 of the Evin prison.
Iran: Son of teacher trade unionist detained
Shortly after the May Day crackdown on Iranian workers’ rallies, teachers organised gatherings to celebrate National Teachers’ Day on 4 May. The teacher association TTA invited members to gather in front of the Education Ministry in Tehran and in front of the Education Department offices in the provinces.
Iran: Teacher unionist detained after National Teachers’ Day demonstration
A coalition of four international trade union organisations told the Iranian government earlier this week to respect their citizens' rights and permit free assembly on May Day – a day when the Iranian authorities traditionally meet peaceful demonstrations with violence and arrests.
May Day: Union coalition warns Iran government off repression
Better employment conditions and quality education are two sides of the same coin, said Ulrich Thöne in his address to the national congress of the German education union, Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW), held in Nuremberg from 25-28 Apr.
EI at the GEW national congress in Germany: "Quality education for all is the key to economic recovery in all countries"
The joint Global Unions statement by Education International, the Public Services International (PSI) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) was presented today to the 2009 United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) currently held from 20-24 April in Geneva, Switzerland.
EI-PSI-ITUC Joint statement presented to the UN Durban Conference
A Burmese teacher activist and four other trade unionists were arrested earlier this month after taking part in the historic first National Congress of the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB).
Burmese teacher and other unionists detained