Ei-iE

EI welcomes the declaration issued by its affiliates, the Verband Bildung und Erziehung (VBE) from Germany, the Gewerkschaft Öffentlicher Dienst (GÖD) from Austria, and Dachverband Schweizer Lehrerinnen und Lehrer (LCH) from Switzerland. This joint declaration, called the “Zurich Declaration,” deplores that national authorities are planning or already implementing obligatory school...

Following the devastating earthquake in Eastern Turkey last November, EI and its member affiliates provided support to help Turkish union Egitim Sen and its members in the affected region. The earthquake killed 600, amongst them 75 teachers. Egitim Sen is leading the efforts to assist earthquake victims locally, helped by...

EI has launched a campaign to urge the Bahraini authorities to immediately release on bail Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, President of the Bahraini Teachers Association (BTA), given his deteriorating health condition. This campaign is organised in partnership with LabourStart, an online news service aiming to serve the international trade...

During her visit to Finland, from 25-28 January, EI President Susan Hopgood addressed around 14,000 teachers at the international seminar, “Finland – World’s Most Skilled Nation 2020?” organised by one of EI’s national affiliates, the Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö (OAJ). She welcomed the fact that Finland is acknowledged around the world for...

One of EI’s affiliates in Germany, the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW), together with unions inside the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), has taken a strong stance on the crisis in Europe, calling for a clear signal for a change of policy.

Nearly 22,000 Dutch secondary school teachers joined in a successful strike called by one of EI’s national affiliates, the Algemene Onderwijsbond (AOb), on 26 January. This strike opposed the latest government Bill imposing new additional classroom hours for students.

In joining the WTO, Russia had to modify nearly 300 pieces of legislation to conform with international trade rules, and agreed to lower tariffs across a number of industrial sectors and to reduce agricultural subsidies on dairy products and cereals.

A public spate broke out between WTO Director General Pascal Lamy and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter, during the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference in December.

Education International has lent its support to the first forum of teachers working in rural areas in Morocco, taking part alongside the AOB from the Netherlands and the FETE from Spain.

EI has welcomed the launch of IWitness, an online educational resource showcasing Holocaust survivors’ video testimonies. IWitness debuted at the United Nations’ (UN) headquarters in New York, U.S.A., on 23 January.

Concerned about the increasing cases of racism, xenophobia and intolerance in many parts of the world, UNESCO, with the support of the Brazilian and United States (US) governments, has launched a new project to promote learning to live together.

EI's European Region, ETUCE, organised a special meeting on the causes and impacts of the economic crisis in the education sector. Participants from 26 European countries met on 20 January in Brussels to discuss about “Education, a response to the crisis”.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of EI’s affiliates in the USA, has published a study related to Early Childhood Education (ECE). This report concludes that a smoother transition from pre-kindergarten (pre-K) to the elementary (primary) level is indispensable to the long-term success of students. This is particularly true...

The 8th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference concluded on December 17th after 3 days of high level meetings exposed deepening divisions between developed and developing nations.

At its recent meeting in London, the Global Unions Communication Task Force, which consists of representatives of EI, ITUC, PSI, ITF, UNI and the other global union federations, affirmed that, in the current economic climate with its multiple attacks on workers' rights, it is time for the private and public...

The EI Executive Board has considered resolutions that were submitted – but not considered due to insufficient time – for its 2011 Congress. This action was mandated by the EI 6th World Congress held in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2011.

The Global Labour University (GLU) invites trade unionists and labour activists to apply to its Masters course in "Labour Policies and Globalisation" offered in Germany, or the Masters course in "Globalisation and Labour" offered in India.

Last week, 450 charter schools in the Valencia region of Spain threatened to close their doors, leaving 250,000 pupils on the streets. The reason: they can no longer pay their bills for basic, essential services such as electricity and water because they have not received any funding from the local...