Education
- 29 Oct 2007
Portugal: Public sector teaching jobs under threatIn September 2007, the Portuguese Ministry of Education and the teachers’ trade unions clashed over the annual nationwide application and placement process for teachers. As 44,000 teachers were not placed in jobs, the trade unions consider this as the largest collective dismissal ever. According to the ministry, the situation results from no increase of pupil numbers in the first and second cycles of basic education and an increase in the number of teaching graduates.
- 29 Oct 2007
Czech Republic: Teachers’ unions issue strike warning over spending cutsIn recent months, trade unions representing schools have issued a strike warning in protest against the government’s treatment of their demands. The situation in the education sector has been tense since March 2007, when the government announced substantial job cuts in the public sector. The Czech-Moravian School Teachers’ Trade Union is striving for education to become a greater priority for government, and demands an increase rather than a reduction in spending.
- 03 Sep 2007
Malta: New agreement gives go-ahead for reform of education sectorAfter years of consultation, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the government have signed an important agreement, which aims to reform the entire education system, starting from kindergarten level. However, tensions have arisen in the area of labour relations. In a press conference during the same week of the agreement, MUT expressed its concern that a number of teachers were allegedly being subjected to harassment during their performance appraisals.
- 13 Aug 2007
France: Non-teaching school staff transfer to local authorities in decentralisation moveEven before the 1 January 2008 deadline, when technical staff employed by the Ministry of Education have to make a decision on whether or not they wish to transfer to local authorities, half of the workers have already chosen to become local authority civil servants. Such transfers of state civil servants to local authority bodies are not without consequences for both trade unions and staff representation bodies.
- 30 Jul 2007
Poland: Schoolteachers go on strike over pensions systemFollowing on from its earlier announcements, the Polish Teachers’ Union (ZNP) decided to proceed with a nationwide two-hour warning strike on 29 May 2007; the schools and pre-schools affected by the action opened two hours later than usual. Following the strike, ZNP met with the Minister of National Education, who promised to address the union’s key concerns.
- 02 Jul 2007
Bulgaria: Wage differentiation scheme for teachers gets go-aheadAfter a period of lengthy negotiations, the social partners and the Ministry of Education reached agreement on the wage differentiation scheme for teachers. This scheme has undergone pilot testing in April 2007 at 27 schools throughout the country. Following final modifications, the scheme will be introduced in all schools from 1 July 2007.
- 26 Jun 2007
Poland: Teachers’ union threatens strike action over pre-retirement eligibilityThe Polish Teachers’ Union announced in May 2007 that it would hold a warning strike if teachers did not receive guarantees of special pre-retirement benefits, known as bridge benefits. The union also demanded pay increases and greater public spending on education at local level, in addition to calling for a new minister for education.
- 18 Jun 2007
Latvia: Teachers threaten strike action over announced salary freezeInflation and other unforeseen factors have forced teachers to review the long-term agreement on salary increases concluded with the government in 2005. In reaction to the government’s plan to freeze salaries, the leader of the main teachers’ union declared that teachers would consider going on strike during the school examination period in May 2007.
- 28 May 2007
Latvia: Teachers’ union pushes for higher wagesAmendments to education legislation cancel the link between teachers’ wages and the minimum monthly wage. The Education and Scientific Workers’ Trade Union had made an agreement with the government that teachers’ pay would be linked to another objective economic indicator, such as the average monthly wages of public sector employees. As this agreement was not honoured, strike action may be considered by September 2007.
- 28 May 2007
Austria: First collective agreement for universities signedIn 2002, Austrian universities were given the right to bargain as a result of their change of status from public authorities to that of corporations with legal capacity. After four years of negotiations, the National University Federation and the Union of Public Employees concluded the sector’s first collective agreement, which is expected to come into effect by 2008.
- 28 May 2007
Germany: Traineeships: a barrier or stepping stone to employment?In April 2007, the Higher Education Information System published a study which refutes the assumption that a whole generation of graduates cannot find proper employment, forcing them to work as trainees for a long period of time. The Confederation of German Trade Unions claims that young professionals need protection from precarious employment relationships, while the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations claims that the majority of graduates work as regular employees.
- 12 Mar 2007
Poland: Teachers’ unions threaten protest action over pay increasesThe two largest trade unions representing teachers have threatened to take strike action if the Polish government once again breaks its promise concerning a pay increase in the education sector. Moreover, the trade unions have made clear their disapproval of the current Minister of Education, Roman Giertych.
- 08 Mar 2007
Germany: Chambers of Commerce association calls for reform of vocational training systemOn 22 January 2007, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) called for a reform of the dual system of vocational training. In its view, a modernised version must ensure not only the quality of vocational training, but should also take into account changing labour market needs. At the same time, the Confederation of German Trade Unions underlined the importance of equal opportunities for all in accessing adequate vocational training. Meanwhile, a recently published study highlights the increased number of vocationally qualified younger workers who have changed occupations.
- 26 Feb 2007
Malta: Teachers’ union threatens industrial action over suspension of new postsThe Malta Union of Teachers has recently registered disputes with the government over two issues, namely the suspension of the process of appointing education officers and withdrawal of special leave granted to Maltese teachers occupying translator posts in EU institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg. While a compromise was reached regarding the translator posts, the trade union is considering industrial action if the government persists in keeping the posts of educational officers vacant.
- 19 Feb 2007
Malta: Industrial Tribunal rules on union representation at University of MaltaOn 8 January 2007, the Industrial Tribunal ruled that the University of Malta should include the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (UMASA) in all industrial relations discussions with the Malta Union of Teachers, but stopped short of assigning sole recognition to UMASA.
- 19 Feb 2007
Belgium: Agreement reached in French-speaking education sector following strike actionIn early November 2006, the Minister for Education in Belgium’s French-speaking community proposed a draft collective agreement in the education sector for 2007–2008. Negotiations followed between the minister and representatives of the teachers’ trade unions. The trade unions were asking for a wage increase for all teachers and the recruitment of more teachers to provide extra support for students in the first years of secondary school. However, the community’s limited budgetary resources do not allow for such measures to be introduced in the immediate future.
- 05 Feb 2007
Greece: Conflict in education sector triggers strike actionFollowing widespread industrial turbulence in the area of third-level education, primary and secondary school teachers in Greece initiated strike action lasting six weeks in September 2006. At the same time, students occupied more than 1,000 lower and upper secondary schools. At the end of October, following a meeting with Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, the teachers agreed to return to work. As a result, the government and the trade union federations had to examine ways to make up for lost teaching time.