European Trade Union Committee for Education

• View all news from ETUCE

In light of the profound impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the education sector, the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) have launched the ‘APRES COVID’ project. The initiative, led by ETUCE, will be developed in partnership with education trade unions and employer organisations from Belgium, Malta, Portugal, and Slovenia throughout the next two years (October 2023-September 2025). 

The main aim of the project is to assess the long-term impact of the COVID crisis on the psychosocial risks in the teaching profession and actively promote an equitable and sustainable education-led recovery.  

With a foundation rooted in the collaborative efforts of ETUCE and EFEE on occupational health and safety, The 'APRES COVID' project aligns with the 2023-2024 Work Programme of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue in Education (ESSDE) Committee, in particular with the priority of creating safe and healthy working conditions in education.  

Under the lead of an Advisory Group, the project unfolds through a series of activities, including an online survey among ETUCE and EFEE member organisations, three case-study visits in Slovenia, Portugal, and Malta, a training seminar, and a final conference. Each of these endeavours is designed to assess the long-term impact of the COVID-19 crisis, gather good practices from education social partners at a national, regional, and local level, and contribute to the possible revision of the Joint Practical Guidelines on How to Promote Joint Social Partner Initiatives at European, National, Regional and Local Level to Prevent and Combat Psychosocial Hazards in Education. 

As a first step, on 8 December 2023, the first Advisory Group of the project kick-started this initiative with an initial discussion on the main priorities on the state of play of psychosocial risks in education and the main priorities to be included in the project. 

Embarking on this journey, ETUCE believes that this will be a key project to ensure a long-lasting and sustainable recovery from the COVID 19 crisis and to straighten the role of the sectoral social dialogue on occupational health and safety in the education sector.