Ei-iE

Former general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), and member of EI’s European Committee, Peter Smith, has died at the age of 65.

"Apparently, there is a reciprocal lack of understanding about the crucial importance of fundamental human rights like freedom of expression, that constitute the basis of democratic societies, and on the other hand, the religious feelings of millions of people in Muslim countries," said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen, when...

EI sent a message to the King of Nepal, strongly protesting against the massive arrests of human rights activists, including teachers belonging to its affiliated teacher unions in the country.

The Government of Guyana has agreed to meet EI affiliate the Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU) following the `Stress Day' boycott of classrooms.

EI affiliate the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) has joined three other labour organisations and formally signed a Mutual Aid and Assistance pact to promote and protect collective bargaining in Canada.

Please be informed that the charges against Rong Chhun President of the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA), and Kem Sokha, President of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR), Pa Nguon Teang, Deputy President of the CCHR, who were released on 17 January 2006, have been dropped. The charges against...

EI affiliate the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) has decided not to take industrial action as they prepare to start negotiations with government negotiators over the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

EI affiliate the Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU) is calling on its members to take the day off on February 1, dubbing the event 'Stress Day' as a form of industrial action to protest government's imposition of salaries and the manner in which negotiations have been dealt with over the past...

At a meeting with Kofi Annan at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 25 January, the global trade union movement reached "good understandings" with the United Nations Secretary General on a series of key international issues.

On 21 January 2006, EI affiliate, the Teachers’ Union of the Democratic Republic of Congo (SY.E.CO) held a General Assembly Meeting to assess the promises made to teachers in the last few months.

Christiane Bitougat, General Secretary of the Gabonese teachers' union SENA, has been appointed Labour Minister of the new government of Omar Bongo on Jan 19. She is also a member of the Francophone teachers' union committee CSFEF.

It is a victory in the history of teacher trade unionism in Africa that the President of the Tanzania Teachers' Union (TTU), Margaret Sitta, has recently been appointed the country's Minister of Education and Vocational Training.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Hong Kong calling for a reduction in teachers' working hours following two suicides within the profession.

CITA have informed EI that Rong Chhun, their president who was arrested on October 15, was released on bail yesterday. Chhun’s release on bail follows a campaign of intense pressure by the international trade union movement, including the ICFTU, Education International and a number of its affiliates.

EI affiliate the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has vowed to resist any attempts by the Minister for Finance to slash the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education.

Bail has again been denied to the 131 government opponents and critics detained by Ethiopian authorities.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement on 4 January deploring the "series of defamation, incitement and disinformation law suits and arrests of members of civil society, trade unions, media and the Sam Rainsy opposition party in the course of last year."

Bulgarian teachers stopped their hunger strike in December, though EI affiliates SEB and Podkrepa have refused to sign a wage agreement offered by the government and will remain on strike alert when term commences on 10 th January.