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Statement by the incoming EI President:
Thulas Nxesi
Brazil, Porto Alegre, 22 - 26 July 2004
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A word of thanks
Let me start by thanking our host country - Brazil, the head of state, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and the EI affiliate CNTE (Confederacao Nacional dos Trabalhadores em Educacao) - for their generosity. I think I speak for all delegates from outside the country when I say that we have never seen so much meat. I also come from a cattle keeping, meat eating culture - but even I was defeated by the relentless onslaught of the country's waiters bringing yet another meat dish.
At a personal level, let me thank this Congress for electing me to the position of President of this mighty organisation. I am mindful that this is both an honour and a daunting challenge. My credentials for taking on such a challenge are my commitment to this organization and the cause of trade unionism, social justice and quality public education for all.
Thanks also to my own union - the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) - for their support and for agreeing to release me to stand for the presidency. Thanks to the Africa Region of EI which initially nominated me and to all the other regions of EI for endorsing that nomination. Thanks to the many colleagues here and individual unions which encouraged me to stand and which promised their support in the days to come.
The challenge is all the more daunting because I am stepping into the shoes of a truly great out-going president - Dr Mary Futrell. Again in this Congress, Mary, you demonstrated that ability to drive forward the Congress so that we stayed focused and got the work done, but at the same time ensuring that no one was left behind, and that all points of view were reflected and encompassed.
On a personal note, as president you were never too busy to find time to welcome new members to the Executive Board and to make them feel at home. On Saturday, in your moving plea to support HIV/Aids campaigns, we were witness to your deep humanity - what in South Africa we would call your sense of "ubuntu". We were all deeply moved.
Mary you are a role model for the millions of female education unionists across the world, and a standard by which to measure future aspiring presidents. We wish you well in your future endeavours - you still have so much to contribute to the cause of education and to the struggle against HIV/Aids.
Of course the president could not do it alone. The out-going officers and Board members have been thanked for their unstinting hard work and contribution to the success of this great organization. It is also appropriate to thank the EI secretariat and all the staff that worked so hard to make this 4th World Congress such a resounding success. I look forward to working with you all.
I think I need to say more. In South Africa they will tell you that the worst employer is the trade union. It is true. We expect our staff to be on call 24 hours a day and not to complain that they receive less than they would in the private sector. We need to recognise the contribution of union staff. We need to remind ourselves that without the contribution of staff this congress would not have taken place. I want to invite the EI staff on to the platform to accept the accolades which they so richly deserve. Please come and join us.
Congress highlights and future priorities
So what have we achieved in this Congress? What are the lessons we take home with us to our various countries across the globe? Of course each of our organizations have their own priorities and their own challenges to face, but if I were to try and distill some of the major cross-cutting themes, they would have to include the following:
- The threat of HIV/Aids
- The struggle for quality public education for all
- The search for a new global order based on social justice, peace and security, and a commitment to defending human rights, and
- Building teacher unity and trade union organization to improve the conditions of education workers
1. The threat of HIV/Aids
In adopting an urgent resolution on HIV/Aids, Congress was telling us that as EI we have to redouble our efforts to fight the pandemic. The data presented at the Bangkok Conference on Aids is a timely warning that there is no room for complacency.
There was also confusion and disagreement in Bangkok around appropriate strategies for containing and slowing down the spread of the disease. As educators we are in the front line in fighting the pandemic. We have to provide clarity and leadership in this matter.
Let us be very clear about this. In many parts of the world, movement towards social progress and education for all is directly undermined by the threat of HIV/Aids.
As EI we can be very proud of our record on awareness and prevention campaigns. We now have to take this struggle to the next level. As unions we have to develop strategies and structures to provide care and support to sick colleagues and to our learners. We have to campaign for appropriate medical treatment, and to defend the rights of colleagues and learners living with HIV/Aids. We have to stand up in our communities and speak out against prejudice and stigma.
We dare not fail in these tasks.
2. The struggle for quality public education for all
We are workers and trade unionists, but we are also passionate about the education of our children and our people. The theme of this Congress - "Education for global progress" - and the various sub-themes have aptly captured this commitment.
We have made the argument for public education as a public good. We have highlighted the dangers of privatisation which would benefit only the rich and leave our societies more divided than ever. We have made the argument that education and training is an investment for the future - and not simply a drain on the fiscus. At an intellectual level I believe that we have won the argument for quality public education for all. But this is not enough.
We have to campaign and mobilise behind the objectives set in Dakar for Education for All. This means that all of us now have to go back to our individual countries and build the Global Campaign for Education. Experience shows that as teacher unions we will need to lead - but on our own we will not win this struggle. As our colleague from the PSI - Mike Waghorne - argued so forcefully we are going to need allies in civil society: our learners and students, their parents, the school governing bodies, the communities that surround our schools, the broader labour and progressive movement - we have to go out and explain the issues, listen to their concerns and build a mighty movement for education transformation.
Let me bring in a little of my own experience here - the internal mass democratic movement within South Africa which undermined Apartheid rule in the 1980s was based exactly on such an alliance of the trade unions, the student movement and community organizations. We need to revive that strategic vision if we are to translate the objectives of EFA into reality.
May I also say that in this Congress we have greatly deepened and widened the scope of debate on educational policy - witness the important work done on higher education and the undertaking to begin a similar process for vocational education.
3. The search for a new global order based on social justice, peace and security, and a commitment to defending human rights
As EI, I believe that we are part of a global awakening of progressive forces for social change and justice. We can take hope from the resilience of the international labour movement which refuses to lie down in the face of corporate globalization. We take hope from the emergence of new social movements on the ground representing the dispossessed and oppressed.
In some instances, we can also celebrate the democratic election of governments committed to social justice - such as the government of Brazil or my own government in South Africa - which is committed to the eradication of poverty. We should not be afraid to support such governments - whilst remaining vigilant in the defense of our members' interests - always our first duty as unions.
This Congress has tackled a number of related themes all of which - I believe point to the beginnings of a search for a new - and more just world order:
- Issues of world peace and security have been to the fore. Debate was at times robust - regarding tactics and wording of resolutions. But I have no doubt that we were all talking the same language:
- There is a common concern and understanding that unilateral military action is unacceptable and that we have to seek alternatives rooted in strong multi-lateral institutions, in respect for international law and in a commitment to negotiated settlements to conflicts.
- There is a shared revulsion against terrorism in all its guises, and a commitment to understanding and rooting out the underlying causes of terrorism.
- As EI we have spoken out on human rights abuses - including political and labour rights, women's rights and the rights of children. The resolution on Gender and HIV/Aids points to a deeper understanding of how unequal gender relations is fuelling the pandemic.
The Board needs to give some thought as to how we can further enhance our efforts in this area. Trade unionists who are persecuted, learners that are abused, women educators who face gender oppression, and those who suffer discrimination of any kind - deserve our urgent attention and solidarity.
- We have reminded ourselves at this Congress that poverty and inequality lie at the root of - or exacerbate the problems that face us in rolling out EFA and in combating the HIV/Aids pandemic. We are still struggling to develop alternative economic strategies to address this; but certainly it would have to include debt relief to developing nations, a much fairer trade regime, and development cooperation programmes geared to the real needs of the people.
- Finally, any new world order would have to be built on an ethical basis of democracy and respect for individual human rights. As EI, in adopting a position of opposition to the death penalty I believe we made a powerful contribution to such a vision.
4. Building teacher unity and trade union organization to improve the conditions of education workers
We started this Congress on a high note with overwhelming support for an agreement to join forces with our colleagues in the World Confederation of Teachers (WCT) - important business on the road to our goal of teacher unity.
By the way the direct result of that agreement - and the admission to EI of our colleagues from the European affiliates of WCT - is that this organisation of ours just took a historic leap in membership from 27 million to 29 million. When EI speaks, it speaks for the overwhelming majority of organized educators world-wide.
Let me sound a note of caution, however. Unity at the level of the global union is not enough. In the longer term, we need to see this replicated in the regions and in each country. I get concerned at the proliferation of teacher unions that occurs in some countries - this is not helping the members. It weakens the ability of teachers to take up their rightful place in national policy debates.
Another point needs to be made. Formal unity is great, but it has to be reflected on the ground - in action - with our members undertaking joint campaigns to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.
As we interrogated the education policy issues over the last few days, we never lost sight of the simple fact that we represent education workers. There will be no quality education unless the basic conditions of educators and education workers are addressed. We have taken resolutions and put in place mechanisms to promote collective bargaining and to promote the status of education personnel. We must never lose sight of this basic role that we have as trade unions - this keeps us focused.
Concluding remarks
It just remains for me to thank all of you - the delegates who made this Congress happen and by your actions took forward the goals of EFA and the cause of international trade unionism. I wish you a safe journey. Take home with you the lessons we have learnt together - but we need to do more. Colleagues, in the last few days we have truly analysed the world - the point now is to change it.
I thank you.
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Président de l'IE, Thulas Nxesi
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Confédération syndicale mondiale de l'enseignement (CSME), Claudio Corriés
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Secrétaire général de l'IE, Fred van Leeuwen
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Secrétaire général de l'Internationale des Services Publics, Hans Engelberts
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Directrice de NOVIB, Sylvia Borren
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Consultant auprès de l'IE, Robert Harris
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Directeur du Bureau des activités des travailleurs de l'OIT (ACTRAV), Jim Baker
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Vice-président de la Banque mondiale, Jean-Louis Sarbib
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Directeur général de l'UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura
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Représentant régional de l'UNICEF, Garren Lumpkin
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Président de la Banque mondiale, James Wolfensohn
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Représentant de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), Chuck Gollmar
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Directeur général de l'OIT, Juan Somavia
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Lauréate du Prix des droits humains et syndicaux, Estela Barnes (Espagnol)
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Lauréat du Prix d'Education de l'IE, Professeur Errol L. Miller
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Président Lula de la République du Brésil
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Présidente sortante de l'IE, Dr Mary Hatwood Futrell
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Secrétaire général des Nations Unies, Kofi Annan
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Secrétaire général de la CISL, Guy Ryder
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