All teachers and education support personnel have the right to organise and be part of a union that represents and defends their values and interests. However, around the world, education unions are facing serious attacks and operate in increasingly challenging and hostile environments. Revitalising unions, building their power by boosting membership and active participation and maximising impact is the way forward.
Education International (EI) is celebrating 25 years of existence; 25 years of advocacy for education and the teaching profession. A long journey peppered with successes, wins and persistent challenges. EI and its affiliated organisations have to contend with capital and capitalists more concerned with their own profits than with the...
#EI25: "Remaining a trade unionist and staying strong", by Marième Sakho Dansokho (SYPROS, Senegal)
Education International strongly condemns the prison sentence imposed on Mohammad Habibi, an Iranian teacher and a member of the board of directors of the Iranian Teachers'Trade Association of Tehran.The sentence is for ten and a half years of confinement.
Iran: teacher trade unionist Mohammed Habibi sentenced to ten and a half years in prison
Education International has supported its Lesotho’s affiliates striking to protest the government’s refusal to consider their legitimate demands concerning teacher professional issues and the achievement of quality education for all.
Lesotho: public authorities must act on education unions’ concerns
Under the banner of "We care. We fight. We show up. We vote,” more than 3 000 educators, health professionals and public employees came together for the biannual convention of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
American Federation of Teachers: Hope in times of darkness. Our collective voice is stronger!
Cécile Kohler, head of international relations for the FNEC FP-FO (France), took part in the 107th Session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva from May 28 to June 8, 2018, as a delegate of Education International. Here she talks about the conference and, in particular, her involvement in...
Making the voice of teachers heard at the International Labour Conference, by Cécile Kohler
The Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores em Educação has been successful in pushing back a bill in the Brazilian Parliament that would prevent the expression of any political, ideological, or partisan ideas in classrooms.
Brazil: trade union’s resistance to attacks on education
A review of “World Class” by Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD.
A world class education by the man who should know, by John Bangs
Thousands of nurses, primary school teachers and principals are calling on New Zealand’s public authorities to ensure decent pay for educators, as well as guaranteeing the future of quality public education, and are prepared to walk off the job.
New Zealand teachers and nurses to hold first mass strike in a generation
Education International supports its affiliate, the Federación Colombiana de Educadores, in denouncing and firmly condemning assassinations and threats targeting Colombian educators, trade unionists, and social leaders.
Colombia: stop the wave of violence and harassment targeting education unionists!
What is becoming increasingly significant in the rest of the world has long since been reality in Latin America; education as a business. To get parents to send their children to fee-paying private schools and students to attend expensive private universities, the public education system has had to be maligned...
Defending the right to education! Latin American teachers’ unions fighting against making education a business, by Gabriela Sancho
The Congress of the Centrale de syndicats du Québec highlighted the importance of education’ trade unions for workers, students and society as a whole, and acknowledged the work of two eminent union leaders, Louise Chabot and Daniel Lafrenière.
Canada: EI honours two prominent union leaders from Quebec
Thousands of Chilean educators, students and activists have reaffirmed their support to building a new education system, that is non-sexist and free of violence, abuse and discrimination. Education unionists mobilise to fight gender violence in the classroom
Chile: educators stand up against sexism, harassment, abuse and discrimination in education
The Supreme Court of the United States just delivered a painful blow to working people and to the unions which stand up for their rights. In a narrow 5 to 4 vote, the justices decided in the Janus v. AFSCME case, that public sector unions must use their resources to...
Unions vow to remain strong despite Janus ruling
Canadian teachers, like our colleagues worldwide, are united in a desire to make the world a better place by confronting social injustices such as racism. In our troubled times, disturbing signs of a resurgent neo-Nazi, white supremacist movement have got teachers across North America talking about how best to confront...
Fighting racism with the light of learning, by Glen Hansman
“We have entered an age of new brutalism,” ILO Director General Guy Ryder told delegates of the 5th World Congress of UNI in Liverpool on 19 June. “We have entered an age where it is OK to dehumanize those who are rejected, who are marginalized, who are different or who...
ILO Director General denounces “New Brutalism”
The Union Network International (UNI) elected Christy Hoffman, a labour leader from the United States, as its new General Secretary.
UNI Global Union elects Christy Hoffman as General Secretary
Education International has encouraged the fifteen education unions in Burkina Faso to take an active part in a multi-partner project aimed at concertedly developing new policies for teachers.
Burkina Faso: Education unions are key to developing quality policies for teachers
In a common front involving three trade unions, around 600 education trade union activists have clearly expressed their opposition to workload increases.
Belgium: Trade unions concerned about increased workloads for teachers