European Trade Union Committee for Education

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On 16-17 November 2023, the members of the ETUCE Committee convened in Brussels for the autumn meeting of the Committee.

Opening the meeting, ETUCE President Larry Flanagan welcomed the new representative on the country seat for Hungary, Mr Tamas Totyik, President of the Teachers’ Trade Union of Hungary (SEH-PSZ Pedagógusok Szakszervezete). Expressing ETUCE’s solidarity with all colleagues in areas of conflict and war, the ETUCE President highlighted the EI/ETUCE statement condemning the war between Israel and Palestine and the renewed call from EI for a humanitarian ceasefire and an end to the bombardment and the killing of civilians as well as the release of hostages.

One of the main points on the agenda was the preparation of the upcoming ETUCE Conference to be held from 26 to 28 November 2024 where the ETUCE Bureau and Committee for the next mandate will be elected and the work programme for the next mandate decided. The Committee members agreed on the venue (Budva, Montenegro) and discussed possible Conference themes. The Status of Women Committee asked that the Women’s Caucus be organised in the frame of the event. ETUCE European Director, Susan Flocken, reminded ETUCE Committee members about the important deadlines in the run-up to the Conference such as for the nomination of candidates for elections and submission of resolutions.

A fact of timing is that 2024 is also the year of the 10^th EI Congress, which will be held from 27 July to 2 August in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EI President, Susan Hopgood and EI General Secretary David Edwards addressed the Committee members and updated them on the Congress preparations, and the EI Campaign GoPublic.

High on the agenda was also ETUCE’s structural review. ETUCE Committee members were invited to debate vital questions for the future of ETUCE regarding the strategic role of the ETUCE Committee as well as the core approach of the organisation as a whole in a context of increasing demands from member organisations.

The meeting was the opportunity to thank members for their strong engagement in the ongoing ETUCE Campaign #MakeTeachingAttractive and update them on the upcoming campaign milestones which will be the ETUCE-led education trade union section in the European demonstration in Brussels on 12 December 2023 and the pledge action towards candidates for the European Parliament elections in May 2024.

Furthermore, the members of the ETUCE Committee acknowledged the work in the fields of Education and Training, such as regarding the priorities of the Spanish EU Presidency, the  6^th European Education Summit and the Bologna Ministerial Conference in Tirana in May 2024, Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence , Economic Governance, as well as the European Sectoral Social Dialogue for Education (ESSDE), where ETUCE and EFEE are preparing their joint work programme for adoption by the ESSDE Plenary meeting on 14 December 2023.

The ETUCE Committee gave the floor to Kateryna Maliuta-Osaulova, International Secretary of STESU , Ukraine, to update on the latest developments in the context of the war and its impact on teachers and education in the country. The ETUCE Committee members also expressed their solidarity with their colleagues in Italy who were striking nationwide for increased public funding of the education and health sectors on 17 November.

The next ETUCE Committee meeting is scheduled to take place on 14 - 15 March 2024.