Estonian Education Personnel Union
The trade union organization of Estonian education employees, with the official
name Estonian Education Personnel Union (EEPU) was founded in 1990 with the aim
of facing governmental authorities and employers in defence of
education employees' lawful rights. The new redaction of our union's Statutes
was adopted at the meeting of EEPU's Assembly of Commissioners on
September 28, 2000.
According to the data of January 01, 2006 our membership is made up of 13,293
education employees in 619 organizations and there are regional organizations of
EEPU in the towns and counties of Estonia. 67% of the teachers working in
municipal schools in Estonia are members of our union.
EEPU is a member of the world organization Education International which
over 29 million education employees belong to, in the whole world.
EEPU is also a member of European Trade Union Committee for Education
(ETUCE) and via membership of TALO, a member of European Trade Union
Confederation(ETUC).
We are also one of the founding members of Estonian Employees Unions Association
(TALO). Together with the Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ) we have
established a regular co-operation practice between the education personnel
organizations in the 10 countries around the Baltic Sea.
We have signed co-operation agreements with OAJ of Finland, the Swedish teachers'
organizations Lärarförbundet and Lärarnas Riksförbund, German Employees'
Association DBB as well as with the teachers' organizations in Latvia and
Lithuania.
We have concluded co-operation agreements with the Ministry of Education and
Research of the Republic of Estonia, The Federation of Estonian Student Unions
and the Federation of Estonian Secondary School Student Unions.
We are currently in the process of contracting co-operation agreements with
Greek Federation of State School Teachers of Secondary Education OLME and
and Slovenian Education Personnel Union ESTUS.
The members of EEPU receive significant benefits via our contracts with
Statoil of Estonia, the mobile phone company ELISA and the travel agency
Tiit Reisid.
EEPU has actively participated in the process of preparing bills, and submitting
amendment proposals to bills, regulations and other documents
of the Ministry of Education and Research. On our initiative the Government
of the Republic of Estonia passed
the resolution of joining the International Labour Organization.
As a result of the work of our organizations in counties and towns and the
trade unions at educational institutions, collective agreements have been
contracted in many educational institutions and the employees have acquired
more information and skills concerning the signing of individual employment
contracts.
The salary problems of the employees financed from local budgets can be solved
with the help of the co-operation agreement between TALO and the Union of Local
Governments.
By mediation of TALO, EEPU participates in salary negotiations with the
Government of the Republic of Estonia and the unions of local authorities as
well as in tripartite negotiations concerning social guarantees etc.
between the Government, the employers and the trade union.
Since the salary of education employees does not yet correspond to their
contribution, the struggle for governing the salaries of
education employees has become one of the main directions of our activities.
In 1997 we participated actively in the strike organized with the aim to submit
the salary demands.
On 4 December 2003, about 20,000 education and culture employees, over 13,000 of them
teachers, took part in the one-day strike organized by TALO
which was the first of its kind during the years of Estonia's re-independence.
The main demand of those who
participated was for the minimal salary rate to be raised to the average salary
level of the republic and the establishing of minimal salary rates for teachers
working in pre-school child care institutions. From January 1, 2004 the
salary funds in schools were raised by 12%.
This far we have been successful in preventing the increase of teachers' weekly
work load regardless of the raise of salaries. The salary-related contracts
signed between the Government of the Republic of Estonia and TALO have increased
the salaries of education employees but we are not satisfied with the results yet
and therefore the salary issues remain on the agenda of EEPU.
In order to get true data on the work and salary issues of teachers and
facts for use at the salary negotiations with the Government of the Republic of
Estonia (by mediation of TALO) we have carried out relevant national inquires
among education employees yearly.
In order to get true information on the working time and tasks of teachers we
organized a relevant national survey in autumn-winter 2005 of which a
comprehensive summary was made including the relevant suggestions, by the
sociologist of Tallinn University Institute of International and Social
Studies.
Lead by the Ministry of Education and Research, the provisions of Section 45
concerning the determining of the minimal salary rates for the years 2004
and 2005, were not followed. During these years, the money allocated for the salaries
of teachers was given to the local authorities without a national rule for
such allocation. As a result, the salaries of teachers varied to the extent of EEK
1500 to 2000. EEPU has achieved the determining of new minimal salary rates for the
year 2006. We apply for the raising of teachers' salaries by 20% by the year 2007.
At the same time we hope to achieve the legalization of minimal salary rates
for teachers working in pre-school child care institutions.
To inform education employees on the new laws, regulations etc. adopted
and on how trade union activities are arranged, we started,
in co-operation with Lärarförbundet, Lärarnas Riksförbund and OAJ, a national
training system of courses for trade union representatives (shop stewards) in
Estonian schools, in the year 1992. As the new laws and regulations have raised many questions
and problems in educational institutions, one of our tasks is
giving legal advice to our members. In order to explain the legal questions and to
anticipate the possible conflict situations, as well as to give information
about new laws and regulations, we publish a monthly Information Sheet (ca
1000 copies). An essential help material for the trade union members and for all
education employees is the handbook "Käsiraamat" containing 230 pages,
compiled and issued by EEPU. We are planning to launch a new and updated issue of the handbook.
EEPU assists teachers at obtaining the
International Teacher Identification Card (ITIC).
Together with the Ministry of Education and Research we run the competition
Teacher of the Year. EEPU also finances the teachers' Male Choir and
participates, in co-operation with Estonian School Athletics Union, in
organising sports competitions for teachers.
We participate actively in applying for the Education Award by
The Cultural Foundation of the President of the Republic of Estonia.