2nd December 2024
Last week, representatives from the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) made a strong contribution to the 2024 European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) Conference held in Budva, Montenegro.
The conference, convened every four years, serves as an important gathering where strategic decisions are made, leadership positions are elected, and the direction for European education policy is charted. This year’s theme, “Fighting for the Future of Public Education in a Social Europe,” underscored the importance of public education as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of social equality and democracy.
Representing the INTO, President Carmel Browne and General Secretary John Boyle actively engaged in discussions and decision making, contributing to the shaping of ETUCE’s priorities for the coming four years.
Delegates at the conference tackled key challenges facing education systems across Europe, passing resolutions to address critical issues such as:
- Protecting education systems during times of war and extremism.
- Ensuring transparency and accountability from governments.
- Addressing the impact of artificial intelligence on education systems.
- Taking action to combat global teacher shortages.
- Promoting inclusion and equity to unite against separation and hate.
- Defending higher education and advancing research for resilient societies.
The INTO received strong support from delegates for its call on fellow unions to do much more to stop the slaughter of innocent children in Palestine and its advocating for a concerted campaign against extremists, who have been spreading fear and misinformation across the continent. The many resolutions adopted at ETUCE 2024 will serve as guiding principles for ETUCE’s work, shaping policies and actions to strengthen public education across the continent.
‘Making Teaching Attractive’ Campaign
A major focus of the conference was ETUCE’s ‘Make Teaching Attractive’ campaign, a Europe-wide initiative aimed at addressing teacher shortages and improving the status of the teaching profession. Representing over 11 million teachers in 51 countries, ETUCE’s 127 member organisations outlined 10 key demands to ensure education systems are adequately staffed and publicly funded to deliver high-quality education for all.
These demands include:
- Promoting professional autonomy.
- Delivering competitive and fair salaries.
- Supporting early-career retention strategies.
- Ensuring access to quality professional development.
- Embedding equality and diversity across education systems.
- Sustaining safe and secure working conditions.
- Controlling workload and promoting work-life balance.
- Creating democratic school cultures.
- Ensuring social dialogue.
- Valuing, respecting, and empowering the teaching profession.
The conference also saw the election of new ETUCE officers, with Jelmer Evers appointed as European Director. Evers, a leading advocate for teachers’ rights and professional standards, brings extensive experience from his role as Executive Director of the General Education Association in the Netherlands.
John Mac Gabhann, former General Secretary of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), was elected ETUCE President, replacing Larry Flanagan (EIS) while ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie assumed the role of Treasurer.
The INTO’s active participation in ETUCE and its continued membership in Education International (EI) remain critical to its strategy of building strong international trade union connections. These partnerships reinforce global solidarity and advance the INTO’s vision to make Ireland’s education systems among the best in the world by 2030.
The 2024 ETUCE Conference demonstrated the collective power of European education unions in addressing shared challenges and advocating for policies that prioritise equity, inclusion, and excellence in public education.