InternationalSolidaritywww.nasuwt.org.uk/international

Winter 2018

NASUWTThe Teachers’ Union

In this issue:Quality education for allInterview with Susan Flocken, ETUCEEuropean Director

Women teachers urged to takethe leadInspiring message from Zimbabweantrade unionist Nokuthula Hlabangana

MyanmarRohingya people facing genocide

A member of

Countries across the world have adopted a set ofgoals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensureprosperity for all as part of a new sustainabledevelopment agenda. Each goal has specific targetsto be achieved over the next 15 years.

For the goals to be reached, everyone needs to dotheir part: governments, the private sector, civilsociety and individuals.

To find out what you can do, visitwww.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction.

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Turkish teachers’ leaders fleeTurkey 5

Working rights must be protectedafter Brexit 6

Hope that teachers’ voices will beheard post-Mugabe 12

World Teachers’ Day – treatteachers as professionals 13

My freedom is your victory – HuberBallesteros 14

Support pledge for unions inwake of hurricane destruction 15

Contents

Hillscourt Education CentreRose Hill, Rednal,

Birmingham B45 8RSTelephone: 03330 145550

Email: advice@mail.nasuwt.org.ukWebsite: www.nasuwt.org.uk

NASUWTThe Teachers’ Union

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Inspiring message from Zimbabwean trade unionist16

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NASUWT lobbies Foreign Office over Bahrain

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Exclusive interview with ETUCE’s EuropeanDirector

Rohingya people facing genocide in Myanmar

NASUWT Deputy General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach congratulates Mahdi Abu Dheeb.

4Read more at

www.nasuwt.org.uk/ISAward

The NASUWT has been lobbying the British Governmentto use its influence to put pressure on the Bahrainauthorities over human and trade union rights.

A delegation from the Union met with senior officials inthe Foreign Office to urge them to seek action over therepressive policies of the Gulf state.

NASUWT Deputy General Secretary Dr Patrick Roachcalled for an end to the “unjustifiable restrictions” beingplaced on the leaders of the Bahrain Teachers’Association (BTA), Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila alSalman, President and Vice-President, respectively.

Mahdi was only released from prison in 2016 after beinglocked up in 2011 simply for demanding reforms toBahrain’s education system. He was subjected torepeated abuse and torture. Jalila was also detained andtortured by the authorities.

Mahdi received the NASUWT’s International SolidarityAward 2017 and, along with Jalila, attended theNASUWT Annual Conference at Easter.

But since then, the pair have been subject to housearrest and travel restrictions, preventing them fromleaving the country to go to international conferences.

Speaking following his meeting at the Foreign Office, Dr Roach said: “We have been stressing the importanceof the UK Government impressing on Bahrain the needto respect human and trade union rights, including theright to freedom of association and freedom ofmovement.

“We particularly raised concerns regarding the plight ofthe BTA leaders, Jalila al Salman and Mahdi Abu Dheeb,who have had unjustifiable restrictions placed on theirability to lead the BTA, which is an internationallyrecognised and respected organisation.

“Ministers need to put pressure on the Bahrainigovernment to meet their international obligations,particularly allowing teachers to organise and to belongto free and independent trade unions.”

NASUWT LOBBIESMINISTERS OVER BAHRAIN NASUWT LOBBIESMINISTERS OVER BAHRAIN

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TEACHERS’ UNIONLEADERS FLEE TURKEYThe NASUWT has been providingassistance to teachers’ union EgitimSen as senior members of the unionhave had to flee repression in Turkey.

Thousands of members of Egitim Sencontinue to be made unemployed orare imprisoned as the regime ofPresident Erdogan attempts todismantle the trade union and civil andpolitical rights movement in thecountry.

Repressive tactics include arbitrarydetention, mass sackings of publicservants and physical abuse ofdetainees in custody.

Many senior members of Egitim Senhave fled Turkey and are now living inGermany as refugees and are beingsupported by the German teachers’union GEW.

Senior members of the Turkish publicsector trade union confederation KESKhave also had to leave the country.

With assistance from the NASUWT,

Education International (EI) has beenproviding financial assistance tosupport the education unions in Turkey,including EI.

The deteriorating situation was raisedby the NASUWT during an emergencydebate at the TUC Congress inSeptember.

NASUWT Ex-President Kathy Wallissaid: “Teachers are being denied theright to organise freely in independentand democratic trade unions, free frompolitical interference. There have beenunacceptable and unjustified attacksagainst our sisters and brothers inEgitim Sen.

“The NASUWT is outraged by theseattacks on teachers and those whohave devoted their lives to civil rights,democracy and building a just and fairsociety.

“We are outraged by actions that haveled to many thousands of teachersbeing summarily dismissed, suspended

or arbitrarily arrested and ordered toappear before court hearings falselyaccused as terrorists and of actionsagainst the state, thus losing their rightto work and their livelihoods.”

Despite these continued attacks,Egitim Sen has remained steadfast anddetermined to continue to work tosecure trade union rights andfreedoms, Ms Wallis said.

She added: “The NASUWT isdemanding that the TurkishGovernment cease their repressiveactions against teachers and guaranteequality education for all.

The Union is pressing the UKGovernment to take action.

Ms Wallis said: “Ignoring human rightsabuses in Turkey and allying ourgovernment with the repressive TurkishGovernment purely because we needpost-Brexit allies is not and cannot everbe the basis for the future of oureconomy.”

The situation in Turkey is discussed by Egitim Sen members at their 2017 General Assembly

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WORKING RIGHTSMUST BE PROTECTEDAFTER BREXITWith negotiations on the detail of post-Brexit relationsbetween the EU and UK yet to begin formally, theNASUWT is urging the British Government to ensure thatprotecting working people’s rights, jobs and livelihoods isplaced at the very top of its agenda.

Across Europe, the wider trade union movement is callingfor negotiations towards a social and economicagreement protecting education workers across the EU,be they EU citizens in the UK or UK citizens in the rest ofthe EU.

Following the NASUWT Conference resolution onWorkers’ Rights, the European Trade Union Committeefor Education (ETUCE) has also called for education to be“at the forefront of the Brexit agenda” and for the“utmost priority” to be given to the education workforce,including their rights in the UK and the rest of Europe.

The ETUCE statement calls for teachers’ rights to beprotected and for measures to be taken to protectqualifications in other countries, better public fundingfor education and the voice of trade unions to be heardin the Brexit negotiations.

The ETUCE says: “Whichever way the British peoplevoted, no-one voted to lose their job, their employmentrights and their social protections.

“This is a critical time for the future of Europe andETUCE as the representative voice of teachers,academics and other education personnel in Europemust be heard, especially when setting the frameworkfor the future of the education sector both in the UKand in the EU.”

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In September at the TUC Congress,the NASUWT delegates arguedstrongly in defence of workers’ rightsahead of Congress passing a motioncalling for the Government to ensurethat:• working people come first and

unions have a voice in thenegotiations;

• workers’ rights are protected;• jobs, investment and livelihoods

are protected through tariff-free,barrier-free trade with Europe;

• jobs, rights and livelihoods areprotected;

• exploitation and undercutting istackled to protect the jobs of UKworkers and migrant workers;

• there is no hard border betweenthe Republic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland.

The call from the TUC builds upon theissues highlighted in the NASUWT’sAfter Brexit booklet, issued earlier thisyear, which provides teachers withinformation and advice on their rightsand how these may be impacted onby Brexit.

The Union continues to campaign toensure key day-to-day issues such asworkers’ rights, the impact oneducation policy and investment, andtrade union rights are now beinggiven the prominence they deserve.

With rising levels of hate crime and anincrease in the number of EU citizensleaving the UK since the Referendumvote, the NASUWT is also urging theGovernment to act decisively toprotect and retain the services of themany great teachers from EU

countries currently working inthe UK.

Read the NASUWT’s latestadvice on how Brexit is affecting theteaching profession atwww.nasuwt.org.uk/Brexit.

The ETUCE statement can be found atwww.ei-ie.org.

After BrexitThe right to work as a teacher in the UK and the EU

updated July 2017

The Union has been running a Refugee Welcome Schools project inpartnership with Citizens UK, the community-organising charity, andwith support from Education International (EI).

The project has been working with NASUWT members, through LocalAssociations, in two pilot areas, Cardiff and Birmingham, to supportrefugee children, families and teachers to more effectively enter thelocal education systems, encourage more schools to become RefugeeWelcome Schools and seek to build coalitions with local communityorganisations to support refugee resettlement in local areas.

The project has three key aims:

1. Support schools to welcome refugee children and families andintegrate them into the school.

2. Encourage education employers (local authorities andacademies) to consider refugee teachers for appropriate roleswhere vacancies exist, including offering necessary support toenable them to have their professionalism recognised in the UKcontext.

3. Support teachers to work with local communities to meet thechallenges facing refugees in society.

In year one of the project, the NASUWT and Citizens UK developedan accreditation scheme to recognise schools that have made acommitment to welcome refugees in their institution and community,educate all their pupils and staff about the importance of refugeeprotection over the course of a year, and participate in campaigns toimprove the lives of refugees in the UK.

Numerous schools in London, Birmingham and Cardiff, where thescheme is being piloted, have already completed the accreditationprocess.

In its second phase, the programme will seek to promote the RefugeeWelcome Schools accreditation to a wider audience, aiming todemonstrate the excellent work that teachers and schools are doing insupporting refugee children.

The NASUWT recently met with unions including GEW, UIL-Scuola andFECCOO to share lessons and promote further joint working.

The NASUWT’s Refugee Welcome Schools project,which aims to help refugee children settle into theireducation in British schools, is moving into asecond year.

EI FUNDINGSUPPORTSINNOVATIVEREFUGEE PROJECT

NEVER AGAIN?Myanmar (also known as Burma) is one of the NASUWT’sinternational priority countries. The NASUWT stronglysupports the work of Burma Campaign UK.

Anna Roberts [left], Executive Director of Burma CampaignUK, has provided International Solidarity with an account ofthe appalling situation facing the Rohingya people.

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Rohingya people fac ing genoc ide

In the space of just five weeks in Augustand September, over half a million ethnicRohingya fled Burma to Bangladesh, thebiggest human rights and humanitariancrisis that Burma has witnessed indecades. With humanitarian aid blockedto those Rohingya remaining in Burma,thousands more refugees have continuedto flee across the border to escapestarvation. Hundreds of Rohinghyavillages have been burnt to the ground.The United Nations has described it as a‘textbook example of ethnic cleansing’.

The military used attacks by Rohingyainsurgents on border police stations inlate August as a pretext for launching ascorched-earth campaign against theRohingya population in northernRakhine State. The testimonies fromRohingya who have fled are soharrowing: executions, beheadings,rape, people, including children andelderly Rohingya, being burned alive intheir homes, children deliberatelytargeted by the military. UNinvestigators heard testimony of “girlsas young as five to seven years who hadbeen raped, often in front of theirrelatives, and sometimes by three tofive men taking turns, all dressed inarmy uniforms.”

The UN has also documented the co-ordinated and systematic nature of theattacks and highlighted that specificattacks “particularly targeted theeducated in the Rohingya society such asteachers”.

In the face of such atrocities, it has beenshocking to see how Aung San Suu Kyihas not only defended the actions of thearmy but also denied the human rightsviolations, kept aid restrictions in placeand refused to co-operate with a UNinvestigation into war crimes and crimesagainst humanity. However, it is also true

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Time for a global arms embargo

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that Aung San Suu Kyi does not control the military andcannot order them to stop the attacks. Min Aung Hlaing,head of the Burmese military, is the man ultimatelyresponsible for carrying out ethnic cleansing.

That is why we need to see much more pressure on themilitary. We successfully persuaded the BritishGovernment to end its training of the Burmese Army. TheEU has suspended invitations to senior military officers tovisit the EU. But it is shocking that, so far, this is theextent of practical action taken by the internationalcommunity to put pressure on the military.

The UK Government can and should do much more. Withthe support of the NASUWT, we are campaigning for a

global arms embargo, for sanctions specifically targetingthe military and for those responsible for these crimes tobe brought to justice.

Rohingya, and Burma’s other ethnic minorities, have faceddecades of repression and persecution. How many timeshas the international community vowed ‘never again’ inthe face of mass atrocities? And yet, in the face of ethniccleansing and possible genocide, there has been a trulyshocking lack of action.

Please add your support to help us end the atrocities andcampaign for rights and justice for all in Burma.

http://burmacampaign.org.uk.

The Burmese military is committing ethniccleansing against the Rohingya in Burma.The scale and speed of attacks is horrifying. In just one month, more than500,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh – that’s more than half theentire Rohingya population in Burma.

Thousands of people have been killed, and tens of thousands of homes burntto the ground. Tens of thousands of Rohingya, as well as people from otherethnic minorities, have been displaced in Burma.

Time for a global arms embargo.

The United Nations has said that the Burmese Army’s attacks against theRohingya are a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.The UN is investigating the Burmese military for war crimes and crimes againsthumanity committed in Rakhine State and against other ethnic minorities inShan and Kachin State.

But this brutal army is still allowed to buy foreign weapons to commit horrifichuman rights abuses.

For more information contact:Burma Campaign UK,28 Charles Square, London N1 6HT

info@burmacampaign.org.ukwww.burmacampaign.org.uk

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le and speed of attacks is horrifying. In just one month, more than 500,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh - that’s more than half the entire Rohingya population in Burma. Thousands of people have been killed, and tens of thousands of homes burnt to the ground. Tens of thousands of Rohingya, as well as people from other ethnic minorities, have been displaced in Burma.

Time for a global arms embargo

Printed with support from

The United Nations has said that the Burmese army’s attacks against the Rohingya are a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

The UN is investigating the Burmese military for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Rakhine State and against other ethnic minorities in Shan and Kachin State.

But this brutal army is still allowed to buy foreign weapons to commit horrific human rights abuses. Sign and send the

attached postcard today

Since 25th August, more than 500,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh. Tens of thousands more Rohingya are trapped in Burma. Thousands have been killed, many more are facing starvation. More than half of all Rohingya villages have been burnt to the ground.

The United Nations has said that the Burmese army’s attacks against the Rohingya are a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. Even before these latest atrocities, the United Nations had established an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese army in Rakhine State and against other ethnic minorities in Shan and Kachin State.

The Burmese military are now a threat to international peace and security. I urge you to support a UN mandated global arms embargo.

WOMENTEACHERSURGED TOTAKE THELEADHundreds of NASUWTmembers heard an inspiringmessage on the importance ofwomen taking up leadershippositions in schools fromleading Zimbabwean tradeunionist NokuthulaHlabangana.

Ms Hlabangana, Vice President of theProgressive Teachers Union ofZimbabwe (PTUZ), delivered akeynote speech to the NASUWT’sannual Women Teachers’Consultation Conference.

She told them: “I encourageeveryone in this room to take upleadership positions in your unionand in school.

“Start from your school, volunteeringto be a school rep, then district leveland then national level.

“Let’s see 50% of women teachers inleadership positions.”

Women teachers from across the UKwere told of the difficulties the PTUZfaces in Zimbabwe but, despite this,the Union has secured numeroussuccesses for teachers includingsecuring a national executive that hasan equal balance of women and men.

Ms Hlabangana thanked theNASUWT for its continuing support inthe struggle of teachers inZimbabwe.

She said: “The NASUWT has alwaysraised a flag every time that teachersare brutalised in Zimbabwe and thishas assisted Zimbabwean teachers.”

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WOMENTEACHERSURGED TOTAKE THELEAD

Ms Hlabangana, who teaches history in the city ofBulawayo, gave an interview to International Solidarity inwhich she laid bare the stark financial realities faced byteachers in Zimbabwe.

“The situation is getting worse for teachers, it has beenyears since salaries have been increased for teachers,” shesaid.

“The average salary for teachers is $400 per month andstudent teachers are now just paid $150 a month.

“The government has increased the deductions forpensions, they have tried to also increase the medical aiddeductions.

“Teachers can’t rely on their salaries alone. Many teacherssell things – some are selling sweets in their classrooms, andduring break they can sell sweets to the children to raisemoney to buy bread.”

In the face of such economic difficulties, the PTUZ isdesigning projects to help members supplement theirincomes. One innovative project sees members being givenchicks which will then allow them to sell eggs in theircommunity.

The project will increase over time and become self-sustaining, she explained: “We give them an average of 30eggs, and after four months they start laying eggs. Weexpect each member to bring 30 eggs back to the unionand then we can produce 30 more chicks to give to thenext group of members.”

As a result of the government’s economic mismanagement,teachers face severe economic difficulties.

Teachers are also having to deal with upheaval to thecurriculum, a move to continuous assessment without

training and support, having to work with texts that arenot academically rigorous and the controversial

introduction of a new subject of heritagestudies, which, according to the PTUZ,gives a biased view of Zimbabweanhistory favourable to the ruling Zanu PFparty and the dominant Shona tribe.

Ms Hlabangana said: “With heritagestudies, they are actually trying todestroy the history that we have beenteaching to our students.

“This is very selective and is only introducing topics that area priority to Zanu PF and the government and favour them.

“This means the roles of the other tribes and states willdisappear completely in the minds of children, and in tenyears or so children will not know the other tribes existed inour country.”

Futhermore, continuous assessment, which sees projectwork required of students in every subject, has increasedteacher workload significantly, which is “becoming way toomuch for the salaries teachers are getting”.

Ahead of speaking to the Women’s ConsultationConference, Ms Hlabangana spoke about the role ofwomen and women’s rights.

The PTUZ has a policy of ensuring 50% of women membersmake up its Management Committee and also ensures thatin conferences and workshops half of attendees are women.

Such a forward-thinking policy is not yet seen in education,with a significant gender pay gap caused by the dominanceof men in administrative and leadership positions in schoolsand colleges.

But the PTUZ is encouraging women to apply for leadershipand supports women members in this by providing training,encouragement and support.

Sadly, on the question of women’s rights, Zimbabwe still hasa long way to go, Ms Hlabangana indicated.

While the Zimbabwean Constitution of 2013 recognisesgender equality, many current laws do not back this up andenforcement is crucial.

Many women face physical violence and those that do havejobs, including teachers, often have to deal with sexualharassment.

“Almost half of women in Zimbabwe experience physicalviolence – it is the right of women not to be abused. Weneed to see laws being enforced on the perpetrators.

“The rights to shelter for women and the rights toeducation are difficult to achieve. When people have to payschool fees in Zimbabwe, it makes everything about money.

“If you don’t have money, you can’t be an educatedwoman. So we can’t say the government is recognising therights of women…it is actually violating some of these rightsthat women have.”

You can read the full interview atwww.nasuwt.org.uk/zimbabwe.

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HOPE THAT TEACHERS’VOICES WILL BEHEARD POST-MUGABEZimbabwe’s main teaching union has expressed its hopethat the ousting of Robert Mugabe will lead to better payand conditions for teachers in the country.

Long-time friend and colleague of the NASUWT, DrTakavafira Zhou, President of the Progressive Teachers’Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), praised the military for itsbloodless coup which overthrew Mugabe, 93, inNovember.

The dictator’s 37-year reign was characterised by politicalmurders, torture and imprisonment of his opponents,widespread corruption and disastrous economicstewardship which has led to severe poverty andunemployment of 90%.

He has been replaced by Mugabe’s former right-hand manEmmerson Mnangagwa.

PTUZ leaders said they hoped that there would now be a“new era” for teachers in the country and their voiceswould now be heard.

Dr Zhou said: “We commend the army for its cleansingprocess against economic bandits and quackrevolutionaries and hope that corrupt individuals withinthe education ministry have learnt something and will

abandon their thuggery and thievery.

“It is our hope that the new political dispensation willbring a new era for teachers and the education system inZimbabwe characterised by better salaries, empowermentof teachers, respect for the voices of teachers, upholdingtheir dignity and investment in public education in orderto guarantee quality public education that empowers themajority of people beyond the classroom.

“Zimbabwe certainly needs not only the political hygienebut also educational hygiene in the 21st century in orderto guarantee sustainable development.

“A dark page has been closed and a new era must beopened up in which everything for teachers and theeducation system will be done with their broaderengagement.”

Zimbabwe is one of the NASUWT’s priority countries.

Before the coup, the PTUZ’s Vice President NokuthulaHlabangana was an honoured guest at the NASUWT’sWomen’s Consultation Conference. She gave an interviewto International Solidarity about the desperate situationfacing teachers, which you can read on pages 10-11.

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The theme of World Teachers’ Day this year was“Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers” and tomark the event the NASUWT called on UKgovernments and administrations to take steps toensure every child is taught by a qualified teacher.

Every teacher should have the pay, workingconditions, training and support they need to makethe fullest possible use of their professional talents,knowledge and expertise, the Union said.

In the UK, year-on-year cuts to teachers’ pay andspiralling workloads have undermined the professionalstatus of teachers and triggered one of the deepestcrises in teacher recruitment and retention since 1945.

To mark World Teachers’ Day, the NASUWT set outthe principles it believes must be in place bygovernments to ensure education systems across theUK recognise and develop teachers as professionals,including:

• high-quality initial teacher training;

• all teachers working in state-funded schools to bein possession of qualified teacher status (QTS);

• senior leaders in schools who are qualified andaccredited as teachers;

• career-long continuing professional developmentfor all teachers and school leaders;

• a move towards teaching as a Masters-levelprofession; and

• a commitment to ensuring that teachers areremunerated appropriately.

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT,said:

“It is the entitlement of all children and youngpeople to be taught by a qualified teacher.

“Qualified teachers are the means by which parentsand the public can be assured that children arereceiving a guaranteed standard of teaching andlearning.

“Respect for the professionalism of teachers is ahallmark of an education system that is genuinelycommitted to raising standards and extendingeducational opportunities for all learners.

“A national framework of professional requirementsand standards, underpinned by a framework ofprofessional terms and conditions of service, iscritical to ensuring quality for all children and youngpeople.

“The NASUWT is calling on governments andadministrations to recognise that this world-classeducation starts with creating the conditions bywhich teaching is a high-status, attractive professionwhere teachers have an entitlement to ongoingtraining and pedagogical development and workingconditions which support them to focus on teachingand raising standards for every child.”

Statistics taken from the NASUWT’s Big Question survey 2017

of teachersthink QTS isimportant

93%have accessedCPD in the past

12 months

64%

believe thatteachers should

have an entitlementto CPD

94%

do not feelrespected asprofessionals

30%think that thejudgement ofteachers is notrespected

54%

THE REASONSTEACHERS WANT TOBE RESPECTED ASPROFESSIONALS

PUPILS MUSTBE TAUGHTBY FULLYQUALIFIEDTEACHERS

The NASUWT joined with unions from around the world in marking World Teachers’ Day byhighlighting the importance of children being taught by fully qualified teachers.

Read the NASUWT principles in full atwww.nasuwt.org.uk/worldteachersday.

MY FREEDOM IS YOUR VICTORY

At the TUC Congress HuberBallesteros, a leading figurein the Colombian tradeunion congress (CUT) andthe National AgriculturalWorkers’ Federation,(FENSUAGRO), receivedrapturous applause as hewas welcomed to the UK.

Huber was detained by theauthorities and was releasedin January after anagonising 42 months behindbars despite not beingconvicted of an offence.During his incarceration, hewas denied proper medicaltreatment for his diabetes.

Speaking at the TUCCongress, he said: “I wouldlike to reiterate mygratitude for thisopportunity to speak to youall, for the work carried outin the campaign for myfreedom. Consider myfreedom as your victory.”

The NASUWT, along withthe TUC and Justice forColombia, had beenworking to raise awarenessof the incarceration andencouraging trade unionistsand the public to lobby theirMPs and the Colombianauthorities for his release.

Mr Ballesteros said: “I havearrived to this conferencefour years late. I have had tospend three and a half yearsin prison for doing what alltrade union or communityleaders should be doing: Iwas defending the rights ofworkers, of the mostunprotected andimpoverished workers in mycountry.”

He said the issues that wereaffecting the trade unionmovement in Colombiacontinued to be politicalviolence, precariousemployment because ofsubcontracting, low wages,high unemployment, pensionreforms, corruption and thegrowth of the informaleconomy.

Whilst the trade unionmovement is committed tothe peace agreement signedbetween the FARCinsurgency and theColombian government, MrBallesteros said: “In spite ofthe many problems faced sofar in the implementation, ithas significant value inoffering the Colombianpeople a unique possibility tomake changes to the politicalsystem and the economicmodel, in favour of the leastfavoured sectors of society.”

But, he warned, someelements were mobilisingagainst the peaceagreement, particularly thosewho were engaged inpolitical violence against theunion movement.

Since the agreement wassigned in November 2016,upwards of 150 social andpolitical activists had beenkilled.

Mr Ballesteros concludedwith an inspiring message tohis audience:

“I reaffirm my commitment tocontinue fighting to defendthe rights of workers and forthe unity of the trade unionmovement across the wholeworld.”

Photo by Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk14

Photo by Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk 1515

In the wake of the devastating hurricanes which torethrough the Caribbean and Central America and torrentialrains in Bangladesh over recent months, the NASUWTjoined in pledging support to unions, teachers andeducation workers across the impacted countries.

Dr Patrick Roach, Deputy General Secretary of theNASUWT and board member of Education International(EI), said:

“These disasters have tragically killed and displacedunprecedented numbers of people, while almost totallydestroying infrastructures across entire communities. This,combined with the trauma suffered by children and theirfamilies, has placed members in our sister unions at thevery frontline of responding to this crisis.

“As a union, we stand in solidarity with colleagues in thesecountries, and, working through Education International,are doing all we can to support and assist recovery efforts.”

Across islands such as Barbuda, Anguilla, St Martin and StBarts, Hurricane Harvey and Irma’s devastating impact notonly claimed lives, but saw countless schools destroyed, aswell as significant numbers of homes, roads and facilities insurrounding communities.

While not having the impact seen in the Caribbean, thehurricane still caused major disruption to education across

Puerto Rico and the South West of the United States, withclosures and mass evacuations seeing schools serving overtwo million pupils closed for weeks at a time.

The hurricanes came just weeks after torrential monsoons inBangladesh, India and Nepal, which are estimated to haveclaimed over 1,000 lives and literally washed away manyfacilities, including school buildings, in many areas.

Faced with the seemingly ever-escalating occurrence andimpact of such natural weather disasters, the NASUWT iscontinuing to join with sister unions to call on governmentsto do more to address the issue of long-term climatechange.

As recently as May, EI passed a resolution highlighting thatan ‘insufficient allocation of resources’ was being investedin climate-change education and that the issue was notviewed as a priority in many countries.

With communities and educational systems across theAmericas and Asia already rebuilding from their mostrecent devastation, and the next disaster sadly only aquestion of when not if, the NASUWT implores ourmembers, the Government and the world at large to cometogether to address the root cause of the problem and takeaction as soon as possible.

SUPPORT PLEDGE FORUNIONS IN WAKE OFHURRICANE DESTRUCTION

How do you think Brexit affects theeducation workforce and do you have aview as to how Brexit could affecteducation funding?

Firstly, the trade unions respect the decision to leave theEuropean Union. There should be no blame because thishas been a democratic procedure.

Brexit is very important and it affects teachers across thewhole of Europe. What is clear is that it has an impact onEU citizens living in the UK and British citizens in Europeancountries. It has an impact in general on education inEurope. What is important is that education is afundamental right and we as unions fight for qualityeducation for all…we don’t want to see an adverse impacton workers in education. We wish to ensure that theirrights are not downgraded and Brexit is not used as a wayto take a step backwards in terms of working rights.

When it comes to public funding…under Brexit, EU grantsfor education schemes and access schemes will not beavailable. It remains to be seen what agreements will befound. But we say the UK has to be very clear that theyshouldn’t cut the public funding going to educationfurther…they should make education a priority issue.

What is the role of the ETUCE and its work?

The ETUCE represents 132 organisations now in theEuropean region of Education International (EI). It is veryclear that we are one of the regions of EI. We representteachers at levels of education starting from pre-primaryeducation, through to primary education, secondaryeducation, vocational training, higher education andresearch and adult learning. That makes around 11 millioneducators we represent around Europe. We representorganisations in the European Union but also ESTAcountries and non-EU countries such as in Central andEastern Europe.

The ETUCE, since 2010, is officially recognised as aEuropean social partner. Our counterpart is the EuropeanFederation of Education Employers (EFEE). That is animportant point because being recognised as a Europeansocial partner means the European Commission has anobligation to consult with the social partners. This gives us

a specific role and also allows us to access grants that areonly available for European social partners.

What are the big threats to qualityeducation across Europe?

We are concerned with quality education for all. We wanthigh-quality teacher training, we want the best people toeducate in education institutions. It is also about educationbeing accessible to all, whatever your background.

Making education accessible for everybody is vital and notjust for those who can pay. The big issue that we see is thatprivate companies see education as a big market and anopportunity to make profit.

We feel also that governments are not giving the priority toeducation in many cases.

If you have good working conditions for teachers in schools,that means you have a good learning environment and thatmeans you will have pupils who have good results, resultsthey can rely on through their lives. For each country, that isalso important because it means you will be able to grow.

What about the issue of displaced refugeeand migrant children in European countriesand the challenges for teachers and schoolsand also on the children themselves?

Member states in Europe are not facing up to thechallenge, borders are going up and we see that we have avery national, protectionist discussion and approach.

This is an important topic for trade unions to reply to,because the schools are the places where children look forsafety and learning. But in order to do that, teachers needto be prepared to work with these children, often childrenwho have had awful experiences. Teachers are not preparedin many cases, so we need training for teachers. We alsoneed support personnel.

The other issue is language. In some schools, you mighthave 40 or so different languages, and how do you copewith that as a teacher if your main language is not that ofyour pupils? There is a big issue about training and, ofcourse, infrastructure.

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Quality educationmustbe for all

A&A’sQ&Susan Flocken, the European Director of the ETUCE, Education International’s European arm, spoke exclusively to International Solidarityon the threats to the education workforce posed by Brexit, the importance of access to quality education, Europe’s response to therefugee crisis, women’s rights and threats to trade unions.

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Quality educationmustbe for all

How is the ETUCE responding to the threats to trade unions incountries such as Turkey?

In Turkey, many academics and teachers signed a statement saying they stood forpeace and against violence.

But the government took this as an issue to dismiss teachers, imprison them. EgitimSen has been a target for repression and it is very difficult. Members are on hungerstrike but it doesn’t look like the government is going to change their policies. Weare doing everything we can to support our colleagues in Turkey. We have organisedtwo missions already and been part of efforts to speak to the EU delegations inTurkey and the embassies of other EU countries in Turkey.

Egitim Sen have told us they value the support from European trade unions and theEI Solidarity Fund and the international attention and publicity. That means theTurkish government sees that there is wide support for Egitim Sen and that meansthey can’t just do anything.

What people don’t always realise is that when a teacher is dismissed, they notonly lose their employment but their teaching licence, so you can’twork again. You lose your pension rights and any socialbenefits, so it affects the individual and their family.

What about women’s rights? How importantis the role of schools in promoting positiveimages of women?

We shouldn’t fall into the role of blaming only menand boys about this. This is a societal approach. Weneed to look at our societies and how gender isperceived. We may sometimes say this isprevalent in particular cultures. But this isactually about how we in general in societylook at gender and perceive the notion ofgender, what we see in general of genderinequalities in education and in society.But also the gender segregation inthe labour market and the world welive in. It is very much linked, andthat is why education plays animportant role in raisingawareness…it is aboutbreaking up stereotypes.

Susan Flocken, the European Director of the ETUCE, Education International’s European arm, spoke exclusively to International Solidarityon the threats to the education workforce posed by Brexit, the importance of access to quality education, Europe’s response to therefugee crisis, women’s rights and threats to trade unions.

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ISLAMIC STATE COLLAPSE TURNSSPOTLIGHT ON PLIGHT OF CHILDREN

The NASUWT is concerned that children’s education hasbeen badly disrupted and replaced with exposure to thewarped and violent terrorist ideology of IS.

Many children have already been forced to witness themurder of friends and family members. In Mosul, it isbelieved at least 1,000 children have been kidnapped andforced to fight as well as execute prisoners for propagandavideos.

It is believed 500,000 school-age children have beendisplaced from the city and their experiences will likely havelasting harm.

In areas of Iraq liberated from IS rule, the majority ofschools, colleges and universities have been destroyed.

Many of the schools that do remain are very overcrowdedwith classes of up to 100 children in a classroom designedfor 30. Desks designed for two will have four or five childrensharing them and others perched on windowsills.

According to the Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan, in Iraqnearly 3.7 million children attend school irregularly and arein need of extra educational support, and more than

765,000 displaced children have missed an entire year ofeducation.

The NASUWT continues to support the Iraqi Teachers Union(ITU) and the Kurdistan Teachers Union (KTU) as theycontinue to fight for teachers in their efforts to try andprovide quality education to children and young people.

Teachers across Iraqi Kurdistan, like other public sectorworkers, are still not receiving their monthly wages due to adispute between the Federal Government of Iraq andRegional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan over oil and otherfinancial revenues.

Further tensions have been raised in the region sincepeople living in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly infavour of independence for the Kurdistan Region in acontroversial referendum.

Ninety-two percent of the 3.3 million Kurds and non-Kurdswho cast their ballots supported secession.

The ITU opposed the referendum and is using the courts,along with other Iraqi unions, to challenge the result. TheKTU was in favour of the referendum.

Freedom of AssociationIn what could be a major victory for trade unions in Iraq, the Parliament has voted to allow greater rights forthem to organise.

Legislators have committed to signing up to Article 87 of the International Labour Organization which dealswith freedom of association and the rights to organise.

This was a major step forward and a victory for the trade unions in Iraq. It will secure the right of public sectorworkers to trade union representation.

The NASUWT, together with the TUC, is continuing to work with unions in Iraq to defend labour rights andrights at work.

Following the liberation of Mosul in Iraq, attention is turning to the plight of hundreds ofthousands of children who spent up to three years trapped under Islamic State (IS) control.

The legacy of war and conflict in Iraqhas contributed to one of the world’sgreatest environmental disasters.Concerted action is needed now, andthat begins with educating futuregenerations about the vital issues,challenges and solutions for theenvironment in Iraq.

The NASUWT is proud to support theefforts of the trade union movementand civil society in Iraq in engaging inongoing discussion, dialogue anddebate in pursuit of our shared goal ofsecuring a prosperous and securefuture for Iraq.

With the support of the NASUWT, theIraqi Environment and Health Society-UK (IEHS-UK) has produced thispublication bringing together expertsfrom across Iraq, the UK and the worldto share ideas, evidence and research.

For more information, go to:www.nasuwt.org.uk/iraq

Environmental Pollution in Iraq:

Causes, Effects and Solutions

Maths teacher Esmail is leader of the Tehran branch of the Iran Teachers’ TradeAssociation. He was convicted of national security offences in February 2016, afterorganising peaceful protests.

He was given a six-year prison sentence. Although recently Esmail has been allowedto leave the notorious Evin Prison it is a temporary reprieve and he can be re-arrestedat any moment and sent back to a prison cell.

Trade unionistwrongly imprisoned

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