Ei-iE

Over 50 million women from 160 countries belong to trade unions, making the union movement the single largest voice of working women. Unions have a global reach, members working in all types of jobs, from professionals to low-skilled workers and in the informal economy.

On International Women's Day, educators worldwide are demanding that governments act to halt violence that endangers women's lives, violates their rights, harms their families and poses an affront to humanity and international law.

The strike called by all public servants in Zimbabwe, including the 55,000 teachers represented by EI affiliate the Zimbabwe Teachers' Association (ZIMTA), prompted the government to increase the wages of all government employees.

EI has written to the President of the Republic of Korea, expressing its concern about the disciplinary action taken against the 430 teachers who publicly protested against the imposition of the teacher evaluation system.

EI affiliate the Zimbabwe Teachers Union (ZIMTA) has instructed its members to join a general strike.

EI Vice President Abdulwaheed Omar has been elected President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on 16 February 2007.

EI sends its message of support to teachers in Lithuania who will be protesting outside the Ministry of Education on 21 Feb at 14:45hrs.

EI has organised a tour for twelve students from Japan, Australia, the UK and the Netherlands to the tsunami-hit areas of Aceh in Indonesia from 19-24 February. The students were selected from schools which contributed to the EI Solidarity Fund for the Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme.

EI expresses its objection to the imprisonment of two Korean teachers, Choi Hwa-Seop and Kim Maeng-Gyu, who were arrested for violating "national security".

Angolan teachers will go on a national strike on 22 Feb to demand changes to their official status and timely payment of salary. Participants in the General Assembly of Teachers held on 16 Feb voted to go ahead with the strike despite continuous threats and harassment by the government.

Following a protest of 3,500 teachers outside the Ministry of Education on 15 February, EI affiliate SONK (Autonomous Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture of the Republic of Macedonia) signed an agreement with the Minister of Education which meets all the demands of the teachers.

A new government is being formed after the coalition agreement was presented on 7 February. Two former Presidents of the Algemene Onderwijsbond (AOb) Ella Vogelaar and Jacques Tichelaar were appointed to important positions in the new government.

On January 30, young people and teachers from 10 countries joined up at the European Parliament in Brussels for the launch of Global Action Week 2007.

EI has just published a report detailing the World Teachers’ Day 2006 activities of its affiliates around the world.

Last month we reported on the disappearance of Meqcha Mengistu, Chairperson of the Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) East Gojam Zonal Executive and member of the ETA Committee for the implementation of the EI/ETA EFAIDS Programme. Mr. Mengistu has now been located and is awaiting trial.

In December EI organised a round table meeting to raise awareness among its membership on the role of teachers and teachers unions in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the South Asian sub-region.

The EI North America and Caribbean Conference welcomed over 100 delegates from North America and Caribbean Teachers’ Union to Ocho Rios, Jamaica from 22-23 January

The Asia-Pacific office of the IFJ has just released a user-friendly media guide and research study on the media's reporting of HIV and AIDS.