Estonian Education Personnel Union's Development and Action Plan for the years 2005-2008

The goals of Estonian Education Personnel Union (EEPU) are to represent and protect the work-related and professional, economic and social interests and rights of its members via joint activity. In their actions, EEPU follow the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, the Trade Unions Act, and other legal acts as well as legal documents based on the latter; international conventions, their own Development and Action Plan and EEPU's Statutes.

In the period 2005 to 2008, the important task in EEPU's activity will be the strengthening of the position of the trade union and the raising of its status in the society; increasing the number of trade union members among education employees; continuing the contracting of collective agreements with employers and the associations of the latter; protecting the rights of employees at all institutions; creating advantageous working conditions for teachers and guaranteeing the continuous increase of their minimal salary rates; raising the qualification of teachers and associating this with the salaries; bringing the content of education to the contemporary level; regular training of the trade union members.

In order to achieve the goals set up:

1. In the fields of organizational activities and additional training
   1. Draw up explicit plans for increasing the membership of EEPU and for raising the activeness of the members, organize relevant seminars for trade union shop stewards on-site.
   2. In co-operation with the universities trade union "Universitas", involve the students of pedagogical disciplines in universities and institutions of professional higher education in EEPU's activities, periodically organize seminar-courses for new trade union shop stewards and trade union members;
   3. 1.3 Draw up explicit plans for action in EEPU's member unions in counties and towns yearly, for organizing seminar-courses for trade union shop stewards and members; practice joint seminars of trade union organizations in counties and towns;
   4. In co-operation with trade union shop stewards, organize nation-wide surveys on the desired working conditions for teachers in order to work in educational institutions, on the raising of salaries, on occupational health care and qualification, on various other important issues concerning education and upbringing. Based on the respective results, contact, upon need, the relevant institutions to improve the situation;
   5. Apply for the topics concerning trade unions and social partnership to be included in the curricula of general and vocational schools;
   6. Involve in EEPU's activities the Union of the Heads of Child Care Institutions, create EEPU's organizations in Tartu and Pärnu, improve the substantive co-operation with subject associations;
   7. Continue the competition "Teacher of the Year" in co-operation with the Ministry for Education and Science, sports contests for teachers in co-operation with Estonian School Sports Association, awarding teachers with monetary awards in co-operation with the President's Culture Fund. Support financially the Estonian Teachers' Male Choir.
2. In the field of the protection of work-related and professional rights as well as social guarantees
   1. By mediation of TALO, actively participate in negotiations concerning employment relationships and social guarantees with the Government and employers, make proposals in the interest of education employees to amend draft legal acts;
   2. Delegate the representatives of EEPU to nation-wide institutions (employment supervisory boards, occupational health inspectorates, professional councils etc.);
   3. Apply collaboration strategies based on the application of the principles of participatory democracy, informing, consultation and social dialogue at the trade union organization level;
   4. Participate in the working out of legal acts concerning, mainly, employment relationships and conditions, employment, social benefits and the regulation of social protection, following the relevant United Nations and International Labour Organization acts and the respective documents of the European Union and the Council of Europe;
   5. Demand the Government and other institutions to follow the requirements set forth in the European Social Charter to present the public with the relevant information;
   6. Participate in the working out and applying of professional and qualification requirements acceptable to teachers;
   7. Set as one of EEPU's important goals the contracting of collective agreements between education trade unions and employers, propose for the application of additional social guarantees to teachers in collective agreements;
   8. Help EEPU's members find new posts or direct them to retraining courses in time, taking into account the decrease in the number of pupils in the future, which will bring along the reorganization of educational institutions or closing some of these;
   9. Protect the rights of education employees in educational institutions, employment supervisory boards etc., organize the legal counselling of trade union members on-site, release information brochures and a handbook which will include the legal acts pertaining to education.
      Special attention must be paid to the protection of teachers' mental and physical health, in connection with work stress and other danger factors characteristic of the teacher's profession.
3. In the field of education policy
   1. In co-operation with the Ministry for Education and Science as well as other education personnel unions, take part in implementing the project "21st Century School";
   2. Retain EEPU's independence of political parties, co-operate with all political forces that have views concerning education and social policy similar to EEPU's points of view, continue the development of co-operation with the governing bodies, including the local governments, co-operate with other trade unions and citizen associations;
   3. Direct its members to committees of the Ministry for Education and Science, participate in the compiling of projects for legal acts and regulations pertaining to education;
   4. Invite the representatives of different Parliament fractions and the Government to hold presentations concerning issues of education policy, at EEPU's Assemblies of Commissioners;
   5. Continue co-operation with the Local Government Associations Co-operation Assembly and regional associations of local governments, organize, with the local government associations, joint seminars concerning the improved organization of developing education and collaboration;
   6. In co-operation with Estonian School Heads Association, pay more attention than before, to the substantive questions of the teaching work, to raising the qualification of teachers and to creating the necessary working conditions for them.
4. In solving the salary issues of education personnel
   1. Continue action to ensure a fair, motivated and sufficient salary to education employees, which would guarantee a humane standard of living to them and their families;
   2. Continuously demand the Government to set the national average salary as the minimal salary rate to teachers with university education, upon their starting working full-time;
   3. In co-operation with the Ministry for Education and Science, the local governments and Estonian School Heads Association, unify the principles of remuneration, apply for the minimal salary rates of teachers to be decisively raised at the salary negotiations between TALO and the Government;
   4. Achieve a significant increase in the salaries of teachers working in pre-school child care institutions and other education employees who receive their salaries from the local budget, along with establishing minimal salary rates for them;
   5. In co-operation with TALO, participate in compiling proposals to work out a unified salary policy for education personnel who receive their salaries from the state or local budget, and for applying this policy.
5. In the field of international co-operation
   1. Deepen the co-operation with Education International, Lärarförbundet, Lärarnas Riksförbund, OAJ, Latvian and Lithuanian education personnel unions; create contacts with Hungarian Education Trade Union and invite their representatives to our seminar-courses;
   2. Participate in the activities of the European Trade Union Confederation, develop the co-operation with the Council of Nordic Trade Unions and the International Labour Organization;
   3. Take part in joint projects that will enhance the development of the organization, with ILO, the Council of Europe and other institutions;
   4. Guarantee the active participation of the representatives of EEPU in international projects and conferences, discussions and seminars, to assure a successful applying of EEPU's experiences; set as one of the main goals of international training the importing of training programmes pertaining to trade unions or the participation of our representatives at relevant training courses abroad.