2019 Autumn Meeting of the ETUCE Committee

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The members of the ETUCE Committee convened on 5-6 November 2019, situated between the EI World Congress and the run-up to the 2020 ETUCE Conference. Welcoming the new Committee members Anna Maria Gunnarsdóttir, KI, Iceland and Aigul Mukasheva, KTUESW, Kazakhstan, ETUCE President, Christine Blower, congratulated PSZ, Hungary, representative Zsuzsanna Szabo and NASUWT, United Kingdom, representative Jennifer Moses for their unions’ strong and continued commitment for quality education on the occasion of both unions’ 100th anniversary.

High on the agenda featured the discussion and decision on the topic and schedule of the upcoming 2020 ETUCE Conference to be held from 30 November to 3 December in Lisbon, Portugal. The ETUCE Committee decided on the theme: Campaigning for Enhancing the Teaching Profession for Solidarity, for Democracy, for Equality and Sustainability

Amongst other important issues the Committee members debated on ETUCE’s contribution to the joint policy discussion between Ministers of Education and Ministers of Finance on “Effectiveness, efficiency and quality of education and training” and adopted the Statement ‘Turn the tide: Invest in Education’ calling upon the Ministers to raise public education budgets and to safeguard the public provision and governance of education from the influence and grasp of private sectors investment and actions.

The Committee members also adopted the Updated ETUCE Action Plan on Gender Equality within education trade unions’ structures and in the teaching profession and the CEE Round Table recommendations put forward by member organisations from central and eastern European countries in Tbilisi, Georgia on 28-30 October 2019.

Receiving a concept note on education and environment the Committee members discussed an approach on education and environment and the role of education trade unions in Europe in addressing this topic.

In addition, the members of the ETUCE Committee acknowledged the work in the European Sectoral Social Dialogue, where ETUCE and EFEE have agreed on a work programme to be submitted for adoption by the ESSDE Plenary meeting on 2 December 2019.