Our International solidarity work

The NEU is committed to supporting people around the world in their struggle to achieve decent education, employment, freedom from persecution and discrimination and the right to a say in how they are governed. These development issues are an integral and historic part of the trade union movement’s commitment to global solidarity.

Teachers around the world are facing privatisation, performance-related pay, cuts and attacks on their professionalism.  In some cases, teachers face arrest, torture and death simply because they are trade unionists.  The NEU stands with teachers’ unions around the world to work for teachers’ rights and for all children’s rights to quality, public education.

There are regular meetings of London International Solidarity Officers (ISOs) as well as lots of support to develop the international work of the union at school, division and national level.

Who is our Tower Hamlets and the City International Solidarity Officer?

Our ISO is Amy Fletcher from Morpeth.

The four pillars of the NEU’s international solidarity work

There are four pillars to the NEU’s international solidarity work.

1. Working for teachers’ trade union and human rights as well as peace and disarmament.
2. Campaigning for public quality education for all.
3. Supporting the professional development and global awareness of NEU members.
4. Strengthening the NEU by learning from the struggles of other unions worldwide.

For more on the NEU’s international solidarity work click here.

The NEU’s international department sends our regular email updates. To subscribe to these emails, please contact international@neu.org.uk.

Resources

We are working on a page for international resources recommended to us, or produced by, NEU members. This page in in development.

In response to requests from our members, we have created his resource to support members in teaching about Palestine and the Middle East in schools and colleges.

Please send us any resources you have created or would recommend: rachael.garvin@neu.org.uk

Our work with and about refugees

Many children and young people in your schools will be concerned about the images shown on television recently, highlighting the plight of refugees and particularly the effects on children caught up in the crisis. You may want to address their questions and concerns in class but feel unsure about how to best approach it.

The NEU is aware that some teachers have already prepared their own resources about refugees for use in the classroom.  Click here for some examples  along with some suggested books and a list of useful websites.

Please send any further refugee related classroom or assembly resources that you are willing to share with other teachers to rachael.garvin@neu.org.uk.

International Delegations

The NEU organises delegations to other countries that members can apply to be part of. See here for more information.

The Steve Sinnott Award

Divisions and local associations are invited to submit nominations for the annual Steve Sinnott International Solidarity Award which gives recognition to members who have made exemplary contributions to their school or association or division’s work on international solidarity.

The Award seeks to foster and celebrate significant and exemplary contributions to international solidarity at association/division/school level in England and Wales. The Award aims to:

• develop effective Union/school leadership and a whole association division/school approach to international solidarity;
• recognise the international solidarity work of lay members/teachers on an ongoing basis;
• acknowledge and celebrate existing good practice in international solidarity work at association/division/school level;
• build on existing international solidarity work in associations, divisions and schools;
• support and share international solidarity work in the regions and Wales;
• encourage innovation and new developments in international solidarity work in schools and in Union activity;
• provide a mechanism for celebrating the work of the Union’s International Solidarity Officers; and
• showcase ways in which teachers use the curriculum to promote and encourage pupils to be involved in international solidarity.

The Award will be granted to an individual member or groups of members who have made significant and exemplary contributions to international solidarity in their school or division.

Teacher Solidarity

Education in almost every country in the world is subject to education ‘reform’ which is slowly starving out public schooling, promoting privatisation and destroying teacher professionalism, to produce a minimally educated workforce discouraged from thinking critically about the world.

Teacher solidarity is an independent website which records the resistance to such reform of teachers, their unions, communities and researchers, who are fighting to defend public and democratic education. It aims to bring such people together, through sharing experiences, learning from one another and giving and receiving solidarity.

(Please note Tower Hamlets and the City is not responsible for the content of external sites).