Ei-iE

Kindergarten teachers in New Zealand went on strike on 8 Dec in unprecedented numbers to protect the quality of education they provide to 45,000 children and families throughout the country.

NASUWT, a British EI affiliate, is hosting their Disabled Members’ Consultation Conference this weekend.

First of all, a co-ordination and mobilisation meeting was held among delegates from the EI family to discuss the last initiatives of some governments in relation to GATS and the possible scenarios which might turn out later in the day in the meetings with governmental delegations and during the workshops...

EI affiliate in Georgia, the the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG) is organising a demonstration on 14 December to request the Parliament of Georgia to increase the funding of education during the budget discussion.

Participants at the EI European Round Table on Equality held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 14-15 Nov, unanimously agreed that there are still many challenges ahead for education workers and their organisations in the area of equality.

In a statement released today to delegations to the 6th WTO Ministerial Conference, the global union representing more than 29 million teachers and education workers is calling on member countries to remove education services from the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

Meetings were held between the U.S. and EU to discuss agriculture subsidization questions.

EI sent a message of solidarity to its Bulgarian affiliates, as they launched a general strike today to urge the government to increase the education budget and improve teacher salaries.

The 5th International Conference on Higher Education and Research ended on 9 December with the adoption of a General Report and a Statement to the delegations of the 6th WTO Ministerial meeting concerning GATS and education, which will be held in Hong Kong this week.

Government plans for school reform could open the door to religious extremists, teachers are warning.

EI sent a clear message to the authorities of Montenegro on 9 December that the latter has to sign the "Branch Collective Agreement for Education" as stipulated in the General Collective Agreement in 2004.

The European Region of Education International, which represents 143 teacher organisations in 44 European countries, passed a resolution in its meeting in Luxemburg from 6-7 Dec, declaring its support for Romanian teachers.

The 5th International Conference on Higher Education and Research of EI opened on 7 Dec in Melbourne, Australia, with heightened union resolve to meet the various challenges confronting the sector today.

The EI Pan-European Structure that met from 6-7 Dec in Luxemburg passed a resolution on Bulgaria,calling on the Bulgarian government to respect the striking teachers' rights and meet their demands. The European Region of EI represents a total of 143 teacher organisations in 44 countries.

Together with Bureau for Workers' Activities at the International Labour Organisation (ILO ACTRAV) and the Global Union Research Network (GURN), the Global Unions have produced a report on successful cases of trade union resistance and the development of alternatives to the policies of the International Financial Institutions (IFI).

EI affiliate in Germany the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) denounces the application of the European Union Services Directive to education.

EI affiliates in the United States of America, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), both denounce the fact that teacher salaries are lagging behind rising inflation rates.

The UK government has accepted a recommendation from the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to increase all salary points by 2.5% in 2006 and a further 2.5% in 2007.