EZA MAGAZINE
EZA PODCAST

Teachers 'unions and their membership: What new challenges does the corona virus pandemic bring for the education sector and what role can strong teachers' unions play in social dialogue to find solutions to this problem?

From 21 to 22 January 2021 a second zoom meeting of the working group of the EZA Education Platform was held. It was entitled "Teachers 'unions and their membership: What new challenges does the corona virus pandemic bring for the education sector and what role can strong teachers' unions play in social dialogue to find solutions to this problem?”. The meeting was supported by EZA and the European Union.

The meeting was attended by 18 representatives of workers’ organisations from 8 countries belonging to the European Union: Poland, Austria, Spain, Germany, Slovakia, Portugal, Bulgaria and Lithuania. The working languages were English, French, German, Spanish and Polish.

The aim of the working group was an in-depth analysis of education during the pandemic, with particular emphasis on the problems and challenges related to distance learning from the perspective of trade unions, teachers, parents and students, as well as a detailed presentation of good practices and system solutions at the national, regional and local level.

The meeting was opened by Elżbieta Wielg, NSZZ "Solidarność", who presented the two-day program of the meeting. Then she gave the floor to Ryszard Proksa, President of the National Secretariat of Science and Education of NSZZ “Solidarność”, and to Jerzy Jaworski, Deputy Chairman and Treasurer of  NSZZ “Solidarność” National Commission, who both welcomed all participants.

Afterwards the lecture part of the meeting started. The first presentation on the analysis of education during the pandemic, with particular emphasis on the problems and challenges related to distance learning from the perspective of trade unions (carrying out SD with the government and local authorities), from the perspective of teachers (working conditions and training opportunities in new technologies), from the perspective of parents and students (access to computer equipment and broadband internet) was presented by Roland Gangl, GÖD, Austria. The speaker pointed out the threat of losing of physical and mental health of teachers in the pandemic era, discussed the solutions currently used in teaching in particular the way of evaluating students' work, electronic communication with teachers and parents as well as purchase of computer equipment for students.

Next Imma Badia Camprubi, USO, Spain, presented the situation in her country. She presented the results of a survey (prepared by her trade union) conducted among 3,000 teachers which focused on difficulties and experiences related to remote work. It turned out that the new form of teaching resulted in extending teachers' working time by an average of 2 hours per day, has contributed to the deterioration of their health, widened the digital divide and deepened inequality among students. Most of the teachers used their own equipment, prepared the schedule of classes themselves, remote teaching was difficult for about 40% of them, and they reported the need for training.

Then Tomasz Gryczan, NSZZ Solidarność, Poland took the floor. In his presentation, he discussed the problems and challenges during the pandemic from the point of view of the trade union (e.g. limitation of SD under the pretext of combating the effects of Covid-19, loss of contact with union members), teachers (e.g. unequal access to modern technologies, fear of losing health caused by stress, longer working hours) as well as parents and students (e.g. threat of cyberbullying, loss of privacy, decreased motivation to learn, loss of direct contact with peers).

 

Lubica Cerna, NKOS, Slovakia, introduced the situation in her country. She also pointed out the lack of equal access to on-line learning for pupils, longer working hours for teachers, lower salaries due to the lack of additional classes, and the transfer of responsibility for education to parents.

Finally, Isaias Afonso, FIEDESTRA, Portugal, took the floor. He talked about the lack of dialogue between the government and the trade unions, earlier retirement of teachers, the possibility of lowering of the working hours, restrictions of career development among teachers.

Elżbieta Wielg summed up the first day of the meeting. Covid-19 has become an issue for all EU countries. All employees, teachers, students and parents are facing similar problems, e.g. with the state's lack of preparation for education, unequal access to modern technologies by all students, fear for physical and mental health. In all the discussed countries, great emphasis was put on vaccination of teachers: access and waiting time for vaccination. Corrective measures were taken in many countries. They were presented on the second day of the seminar.

On the second day, the speakers presented good practices and system solutions related to remote learning at 3 levels: national, regional and local.

The most important of them are:

  • carrying out SD in a hybrid model,
  • communication via social media (trade unions - members, teachers - parents),
  • cooperation of sanitary inspectors with school principals and trade unions in the field of epidemiological risk assessment and the implemented procedures for counteracting SARS-CoV-2 in schools,
  • preparation of on-line lessons by the ministry of education to help teachers (television teaching),
  • passing exams confirming professional qualifications in the sanitary regime,
  • introducing exams and tests to pass stationary with sanitary requirements,
  • "Gargling Tests" - quick tests,
  • providing larger rooms to keep a safe distance,
  • purchase of equipment for students in need,
  • using several channels of teacher-student communication to avoid exclusion (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex Meetings, Google Classroom),
  • summer and semester schools as an opportunity to compensate for gaps in education,
  • hybrid teaching,
  • general vaccinations for teachers,
  • traffic light system (green, orange and red)
  • development, implementation and monitoring of the electronic system of airing rooms: "airing, not catching a cold",
  • possible promotion to the next class with a failing grade.

Summing up, all participants of the meeting agree that the most important thing now is the quick return of students and teachers to schools. Distance learning is not a substitute for full-time education or the socialization of students. The pandemic is having a very negative impact on mental health; increases stress, causes isolation, and the lack of contact with peers will translate into disturbed social relations in the future. However, it should also be remembered that with so many threats, the current situation is also an opportunity to promote innovative education based on digital technology. So finding the golden mean between risk minimization and the development of new technologies in teaching is a need today. At the end, the speakers were asked to choose one recommendation and describe it in detail in terms of its possible implementation in other countries. A decision was also made to prepare a brochure in which would include all the good practices presented at the meeting.