Invited by its member NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, the Education and Solidarity Network took part in the annual Conference of the union which was held from 15 to 18 April in Birmingham (England).
NASUWT is a union representing teachers and headteachers in the United Kingdom. The conference is NASUWT’s main decision-making body, where policy changes and union rules are approved. Approximately 1,000 elected representatives from all constituent nations of the UK attended the 2022 annual conference. The new president Angela Butler took up office at the opening of the Conference.
Topics of the motions submitted and debated at the conference were several determinants of occupational health, including workload, the impact of covid-19 on teacher and pupil mental health, class size, hybrid teaching and excessive workload.
During the “General Secretary’s Speech”, Dr Patrick Roach also raised concerns about cuts to teachers’ pay when he addressed delegates from across the UK.
Several partner unions or associations from around the world also participated in the event, including the Education and Solidarity Network. On Saturday 16 April, NASUWT organised an international round table for its international partners on the theme of peace education. Several panelists were invited to present their organisation’s experience on this topic, especially William Velandia, President of the Colombian union Fecode, Abdulwahed Haje, President of the Iraqi union Kurdistan Teachers’ Union and Takavafira Zhou, President of the PTUZ Union in Zimbabwe. William Velandia presented their project Escuela, Territorio de Paz for which he received the NASUWT 2022 Solidarity Award.
The ESN had a stand in the “Exhibition” area of the Conference. On the programme: mobilisation of NASUWT activists and international partners on the subject of international social protection via a photobooth and a quiz, and exchanges on health at school and health at work, via the presentation of the missions of the Education and Solidarity Network.
