First ETUCE project on teachers’ work-related stress:
“Improving expertise on teachers’ work-related stress and assisting ETUCE member organisations in implementing the European Framework Agreement on work-related stress”
Short summary of the project
The first ETUCE project on teachers work-related stress, titled “Improving expertise on teachers’ work-related stress and assisting ETUCE member organisations in implementing the European Framework Agreement on work-related stress” had as an aim to improve expertise and to exchange information and best practices on teachers’ work-related stress, as well as to support teacher unions on the implementation of the European Framework Agreement.
During this first project, carried out in 2007, a survey was performed in order to identify teachers’ stressors and stress indicators in schools, the regulation and implementation of risk assessment systems in schools, and the awareness and implementation of the European Framework Agreement at national level. In total, 38 unions responded from 27 countries. Some unions represented teachers in more than one of the three levels of education. 32 respondents were from unions that are organised in the primary level, 30 from the secondary level and 22 from vocational education.
The main stressors for teachers according to our affiliates were the following: workload/working intensity; role overload, increased class size per teacher. All these stressors appear to be related to management of schools and issues such as working time arrangements, content of tasks, division of tasks, etc.
Regarding the existence and implementation of risk assessment systems on work-related stress in schools this issue is regulated in 14 countries. However, its real implementation within schools seems to be only integrated in Bulgaria, Croatia, DK, Estonia, Finland, Slovakia and Sweden. A general lack of school leadership awareness or support is reported in most cases.
Concerning the degree of awareness and implementation of the European Framework Agreement, 68% of our members reported to acknowledge the content of this agreement.
A seminar took place (Ljubljana on 21st and 22nd September 2007) in order to discuss the results of the survey among member organisations. Relevant speakers such as Tim Tregenza, from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work or Jorge Costa-David, from the European Commission made relevant contributions to our work.
A booklet on the implementation of the European Framework Agreement was also drafted, giving advice and explanation to ETUCE member organisations on its implementation. Finally, an ETUCE Action Plan on teachers’ work-related stress containing the future policy guidelines on how to work on this issue was elaborated. This Action Plan has recently been approved by the ETUCE Executive Board (14th April 2008). Both documents were presented for discussion among member organisations during our final project conference which took place in Malta on 19th and 20th November 2007.
Partner Organisations & members of the project Steering Committee
From Sweden, the Swedish Teachers' Union / Lärarförbundet
From Germany, Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft, GEW
From Portugal, Federação Nacional dos Sindicatos da Educação, FNE
From Slovenia, the Education and Science Trade Union of Slovenia, ESTUS
From Malta, the Malta Union of Teachers, MUT
From Poland, the National Education Section NSZZ “Solidarność" (SKOiW “Solidarność”)
Links to project publications
Second ETUCE project on teachers’ work-related stress:
"Teachers' work-related stress: Implementing the ETUCE Action Plan
and the European Autonomous Agreement on WRS"
Short summary of the project
Within this new project ETUCE intends to continue its work carried out during 2007. ETUCE is aiming to work on the implementation of its Action Plan and to go further in supporting its member organisations in the implementation of the European Framework Agreement. The three main focus areas, as identified in the first project, will be to work further on risk assessment, the inclusion of WRS in collective agreements and the procedures and strategies that teacher unions should follow while dealing and preventing WRS at school level.
Thus, the project overall objective is to implement the ETUCE Action Plan on teachers' WRS and to continue supporting national teacher unions in the implementation of the FA on work-related stress.
Its specific objectives will deal with:
a) supporting teacher unions in the establishment of risk assessment systems on WRS in schools;
b) supporting the inclusion of psychosocial hazards (focusing on WRS) in social dialogue;
c) supporting teacher unions to set up strategies on H&S to perform in schools, specially as regards preventing and tackling WRS.
Enlargement of the ETUCE Working Conditions Network also to Health and Safety issues
The ETUCE Network traditionally known as “Network on Working Conditions” is now enlarging its scope to cover also teacher’s health and safety issues. From now on, it will thus be called “ETUCE Network on Working Conditions and Health and Safety”. During its first year of work, this section of the network will deal with the topics mentioned above. The exchange of experiences among member organisations through the network will help us attain the project objectives. Good practices on risk assessment systems will be gathered through the network. In addition, the on-line debates will help us to learn from those countries where the social dialogue systems at local, regional and/or national level deal with this topic. Finally, we will gather good examples from those unions having the most effective strategies in order to preserve teachers’ health and safety at workplace.
Advisory Working Group
In this project we count on the expertise and advise of Anne Jenter (GEW, Germany), Anders Eklund (Lärarforbundet, Sweden) and Monika Konczyk (KOiW NSZZ Solidarnosc Poland).
Meetings related to this project
The first seminar of the project took place in Brussels, on 16 and 17 February 2009. The final Conference is going to be held in Athens on 5 & 6 October.
Reports
