Presentation of the project

The "UNC-STRENGTHENING UNION NEGOTIATION CULTURE IN EDUCATION" is a project authorized and financed by the European Commission and aims to increase skills and effectiveness in industrial relations and encourage the development of social dialogue in EU countries The project had the formal launch on 8 December, with the first meeting of the steering committee, and ended in November 2010. Download project text.

The participating countries, represented by a national union, have been identified as representing different national contexts and experiences in relation to issues addressed by the project. Then the differences as a resource to facilitate comparison, mutual understanding and the development of cooperation.

The project aims to strengthen education and training trade unions in participating in European culture and practice of social dialogue. Consequently, the unions take action not only on issues traditionally union competence but also on more general issues, such as scheduling and planning of training at regional/territorial, or how the tools necessary to ensure the right to education of our citizens.
This aim was pursued through collecting data, exchanging information, conducting surveys and joint research, conducting seminars and study visits having as center of interest governance in educational systems and levels of representation and bargaining of trade unions.

There was also a more general aim: it was to contribute through the project to strengthen the process of collaboration and integration among European countries. The direct beneficiaries of the project have been therefore the trade unions of education and training of European countries indicated that have taken over their countries to strengthen the culture and practice of social dialogue. Indirectly, through the activities and work coordination and dissemination of results by the ETUCE, the trade unions of other countries may be interested in the impact of this project.

The historical context of reference, common to all countries participating in the project have been identified in the process of devolution and decentralization, which since the 90s, involving all systems of education and training in Europe.
In Italy this process is achieved through the recognition of powers to the regions the right to study, planning the school network and addresses of colleges. At the same time the school was given the autonomy; leaders acquire the status of school leaders and schools take the start of the bargaining institution, whose shares are between the unit managers and union representatives.

At the same time, as this transformation took place in Italy, in the other European countries the phenomenon of decentralization took the field in the form of allocation of real power to the peripheral institutions in both the delegation of tasks and assignments from the central power to the periphery.
Already the Delors White Paper of 1993 called on European states to "introduce appropriate measures to increase the flexibility of the various segments of teaching and management decentralization of education systems"
In '97 a resolution of the Council of Europe invited to consider in future educational reforms "the role of the state and local and regional authorities responsible for education and sharing of responsibilities and competences between different levels of government and other partners concerned. "

Within this framework we wanted to place the project.
We wanted to see how the phenomenon of decentralization had covered the countries of the European community. And in particular how this situation had an impact on organizational structures and levels of representation of trade unions.
'Our goal was to collect at the end information and shared and workable proposals for the development of social dialogue in which unions and education and training were protagonists and promoters.

The first phase of preparation saw the preparation and compilation of a questionnaire on governance models in education systems and patterns of organizational and contractual unions. The questionnaire responses were processed and arranged.

The next phase of implementation covered three study visits to Madrid, Copenhagen and Warsaw, where they were analyzed in-depth significant aspects and experiences worthy of special attention and stimulating information and suggestions. These visits included meetings with trade unions and representatives of 'administration at different levels of the host country.
Still in implementation phase a meeting was held in Rome in October of 2010, which was attended by approximately 50 representatives of the European trade unions participating in the project, representatives of the European Committee for the Social dialogue in the education sector and Institutions.
Work groups were organized, which identified proposals to maintain and strengthen cooperation between unions in the post project completion.

To get more details and information on the project results and on the trade unions participants in the project, please contact
Gabriella Giorgetti (FLC CGIL): g.giorgetti@flcgil.it
Alessandro Pazzaglia (FLC CGIL): a.pazzaglia@flcgil.it
David Poissonneau (ETUCE): david.poissonneau@csee-etuce.org
François Cencerrado (UNSA): francois.cencerrado@unsa-education.org
Merete Vejbaek (DLF): mv@dlf.org
Rocio Gonzalez (FETE): rgonzalez@fete.ugt.org
Dorota Obidniak (ZNP): obidniak@znp.edu.pl
Sandi Modrijan (SVIZ): sandi.modrijan@sviz.si

Download project text