The Founding of Education International

• In Event: 35.078 - MTCC Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: 35.078-7 - Unions as Sites of Teacher Leadership and Organizing

Abstract

Headquartered in Brussels, Education International (EI), an international union network organization, represents education unions in 170 countries. Although “founded” in 1993, in fact its “pre-history” is extensive, and noteworthy. Starting with a review of international teacher union networks from the beginning of the 20th century, and drawing on Skipe’s “union imperialism,” this paper focuses on the Cold War era, and in particular the antagonistic relations between three main competing international networks, East and West (WCOTP, IFFTU and FISE). Perhaps not surprisingly, with the fall of the Berlin war, at least some motives for competition evaporated. While other issues persisted (eg. Unionism vs. professionalism; acceptable levels of bureaucracy), merger talks soon produced compromises, and EI was born.

Author

• Harry Smaller, York University