NASUWT International Solidarity

Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey BurmaThailand Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey Gambia BurmaThailand

Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey Gambia BurmaThailand

Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey BurmaThailand Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey BurmaThailand Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey Gambia BurmaThailand

Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey Gambia BurmaThailand

Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey Gambia BurmaThailand Iraq Iran G20 Haiti Zimbabwe Cuba Asian tsunami Turkey Gambia B u r m a T h a i l a n d

NASUWT The Teachersrsquo Union

Autumn 2010 No to austerity In a strongly worded letter to all heads of state and government the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) outlined the serious concerns about the nature and extent of austerity measures being pursued across the EU

Issuing a stark warning John Monks said ldquoIn our view this panic under market pressure will damage the fragile recovery and risks a European-wide dive into recession After all synchronised cuts was the policy followed by President Hoover and his European counterparts in 1931 with the disastrous consequences that we all knowrdquo

Mr Monks went on ldquoOur question is ndash where will the future growth in Europe come from By definition not all countries can rely on exportshellipWe need new sources of finance especially a financial transaction tax (the so-called Robin Hood Tax) to deliver substantial new resources and we need to spread the reduction of national deficits over a longer and more realistic period This should include real financial assistance to distressed member states not assistance at unrealistic levels of interest and over-harsh standards of disciplinerdquo

In the UK too an initial taste of the misery to come from domestic austerity measures was inflicted on public sector workers in the Coalition Governmentrsquos 22 June Emergency Budget Having already wiped off pound62 billion from public spending the Chancellor of the Exchequer pressed ahead with a public sector pay freeze and across the board cuts to public

sector pensions A further package of measures to drive down the UKrsquos budget deficit is expected to be announced in October with cuts across government departments of up to 40

The NASUWT described the budget as ldquodishonestrdquo and one that would wreck the lives of millions of ordinary workers and families Chris Keates NASUWT General Secretary said ldquoCore services are clearly not safehellipNurses and health service staff teachers and support staff police officers firefighters and other public service workers have during the course of this recession worked tirelessly to deliver an even greater scale of service to the public in order to mitigate against the worst effects of a situation caused by the reckless bankers and financiers who have emerged from this budget unscathed There is no justification for this assault on the public sector which will undermine economic recovery and social cohesionrdquo

Iran The NASUWT and Education International (EI) were outraged to learn that our Iranian colleague Farzad Kamangar was hanged in May with four other Kurds

This time there was no rumour that would have allowed EI and human rights groups to launch a campaign to save his life

The NASUWT and EI will continue to campaign on behalf of other teacher trade unionists in Iran but will also request clarity on the process that led to Farzadrsquos execution while his case was to be reviewed by the Supreme Court

EI is currently in discussion with other trade union and human rights groups to fine-tune a strategy and agree on key campaign points

There is better news coming from the Iranian government on the fate of the jailed leader of the Tehran bus driversrsquo union Mansour Osanloo who is being released

The international trade union movement is now calling for the release of 52 other jailed trade unionists

Global pressure on the Iranian government has certainly contributed to the release and will provide encouragement to all trade union colleagues to participate regularly in online campaigns

The International Transport Workersrsquo Federation (ITF) is calling on affiliates to send letters of protest to the Iranian government and to organise further activities to show solidarity with Iranian unionists For more information visit wwwjusticeforiranianworkersorg

Trade unionist murder rate up by a third There has been a 30 increase in trade unionists killed worldwide an annual survey of trade union rights has revealed

According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) 101 trade unionists were killed last year

The NASUWT has strived to help to protect trade unionists in countries where the labour movement is oppressed The Union believes that the death of just one person for engaging in trade union activity is both a tragedy and a moral outrage

New hope for Iraqi teachersrsquo union movement The NASUWT delivers practical support for teachers in Iraq

A training and development programme for teacher trade unionists has begun in Iraq under the guidance of the NASUWT and with the support and advice of Education International (EI) and the TUC

After attending the NASUWT Annual Conference three Iraqi teacher trade unionists ndash Nasser Behadili and Ahmed Al Shiblawi both of the Iraqi Teachersrsquo Union (ITU) and Nadir Qadir of the Kurdish Teachersrsquo Union (KTU) ndash then spent over a week at NASUWT Headquarters at Rednal Birmingham participating in a trade union training programme

The programme covered basic union principles such as how to handle negotiations organise and develop from grass roots The three participants will run their own courses throughout the 18 different provinces of Iraq By the end of a two-year period they hope to have covered the whole country and begun to build a strong teacher trade union base with a clear understanding of free independent unions and their role in a democracy

The first course took place in Baghdad on 28-29 May run by Ahmed There were 18 participants 11 of whom were women and all felt very positive about the course saying it encouraged them and clarified why they wanted to be active in the union movement

In a growing democracy like Iraq an independent non-sectarian trade union movement of teachers has a major role to play in the future development of the nation

In the news TUC Congress backs Iraqi labour law campaign The second Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in Vancouver Canada in June officially backed the Iraqi trade union campaign for a fair and just labour law

In its general resolution on democracy peace security and the role of the United Nations Congress stated that it lsquosupports the Iraqi Labour Campaign for the implementation and enactment of a fair and just labour lawrsquo

The Iraqi Labour Campaign unites the Iraqi trade union movement in seeking to overturn Saddam-era labour laws that are still being used ndash seven years after his fall ndash to restrict the rights of workers to organise and to control their own trade unions As the resolution acknowledges lsquorestrictions on the right to form and join free trade unions in Iraq are inhibiting the contribution of trade unionism to the promotion of peace democracy and workersrsquo rightsrsquo

The backing of the ITUC Congress is a major push for the campaign which is pressing the new Iraqi Parliament and government to finally pass an International Labour Organization (ILO) compliant labour law With over 1400 delegates representing 176 million members from 155 countries and territories the Congress represents the voice of the global labour movement

During the week trade unions from around the world also discussed practical and co-ordinated actions they can take to support the campaign including pressing their Iraqi embassies and promoting the global petition

Sign the global petititon for fair and just labour laws in Iraq at wwwiraqitradeunionsorg

Iran The NASUWT and Education International (EI) were outraged to learn that our Iranian colleague Farzad Kamangar was hanged in May with four other Kurds

This time there was no rumour that would have allowed EI and human rights groups to launch a campaign to save his life

The NASUWT and EI will continue to campaign on behalf of other teacher trade unionists in Iran but will also request clarity on the process that led to Farzadrsquos execution while his case was to be reviewed by the Supreme Court

EI is currently in discussion with other trade union and human rights groups to fine-tune a strategy and agree on key campaign points

There is better news coming from the Iranian government on the fate of the jailed leader of the Tehran bus driversrsquo union Mansour Osanloo who is being released

The international trade union movement is now calling for the release of 52 other jailed trade unionists

Global pressure on the Iranian government has certainly contributed to the release and will provide encouragement to all trade union colleagues to participate regularly in online campaigns

The International Transport Workersrsquo Federation (ITF) is calling on affiliates to send letters of protest to the Iranian government and to organise further activities to show solidarity with Iranian unionists For more information visit wwwjusticeforiranianworkersorg

Trade unionist murder rate up by a third There has been a 30 increase in trade unionists killed worldwide an annual survey of trade union rights has revealed

According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) 101 trade unionists were killed last year

The NASUWT has strived to help to protect trade unionists in countries where the labour movement is oppressed The Union believes that the death of just one person for engaging in trade union activity is both a tragedy and a moral outrage

New hope for Iraqi teachersrsquo union movement The NASUWT delivers practical support for teachers in Iraq

A training and development programme for teacher trade unionists has begun in Iraq under the guidance of the NASUWT and with the support and advice of Education International (EI) and the TUC

After attending the NASUWT Annual Conference three Iraqi teacher trade unionists ndash Nasser Behadili and Ahmed Al Shiblawi both of the Iraqi Teachersrsquo Union (ITU) and Nadir Qadir of the Kurdish Teachersrsquo Union (KTU) ndash then spent over a week at NASUWT Headquarters at Rednal Birmingham participating in a trade union training programme

The programme covered basic union principles such as how to handle negotiations organise and develop from grass roots The three participants will run their own courses throughout the 18 different provinces of Iraq By the end of a two-year period they hope to have covered the whole country and begun to build a strong teacher trade union base with a clear understanding of free independent unions and their role in a democracy

The first course took place in Baghdad on 28-29 May run by Ahmed There were 18 participants 11 of whom were women and all felt very positive about the course saying it encouraged them and clarified why they wanted to be active in the union movement

In a growing democracy like Iraq an independent non-sectarian trade union movement of teachers has a major role to play in the future development of the nation

In the news TUC Congress backs Iraqi labour law campaign The second Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in Vancouver Canada in June officially backed the Iraqi trade union campaign for a fair and just labour law

In its general resolution on democracy peace security and the role of the United Nations Congress stated that it lsquosupports the Iraqi Labour Campaign for the implementation and enactment of a fair and just labour lawrsquo

The Iraqi Labour Campaign unites the Iraqi trade union movement in seeking to overturn Saddam-era labour laws that are still being used ndash seven years after his fall ndash to restrict the rights of workers to organise and to control their own trade unions As the resolution acknowledges lsquorestrictions on the right to form and join free trade unions in Iraq are inhibiting the contribution of trade unionism to the promotion of peace democracy and workersrsquo rightsrsquo

The backing of the ITUC Congress is a major push for the campaign which is pressing the new Iraqi Parliament and government to finally pass an International Labour Organization (ILO) compliant labour law With over 1400 delegates representing 176 million members from 155 countries and territories the Congress represents the voice of the global labour movement

During the week trade unions from around the world also discussed practical and co-ordinated actions they can take to support the campaign including pressing their Iraqi embassies and promoting the global petition

Sign the global petititon for fair and just labour laws in Iraq at wwwiraqitradeunionsorg

TUC calls for Barclays to come clean on Burma Barclays Bank has agreed to pay a $298m (pound190m) fine for breaking US sanctions against several dictatorships The bank had been charged with breaking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act between 1995 and 2006

Responding to the news TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said ldquoItrsquos a disgrace that Barclays has been violating US sanctions and doing business in Burma Foreign financial services are helping Burmese generals to loot the countryrsquos natural wealth and to fund a military accused of committing horrendous crimes against humanity

ldquoBarclays must come completely clean on whether it has been a part of this or no amount of London Cycle Hire schemes can save its reputation

ldquoIt is a cause for concern that it took the US sanctions system to discover the shameful activities of a British bank The UK and the EU urgently need to fix our weak rules We need to put in place US-style financial sanctions and a rigorous monitoring system to prevent these sorts of scandals from happening againrdquo

General Secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions ndash Burma (FTUB) Maung Maung said ldquoMy country is the worst place in the world to be a worker The regime uses slave labour rape and torture to stay in power Unions are banned and the jails are overflowing with those who have dared to speak out

ldquoWith sham elections happening in November the military looks like being there for decades to come ndash especially if foreign financial institutions are keeping them afloat

ldquoThis scandal must be a wake-up call for the UK Government We already know that insurance syndicates within Lloyds of London have been doing business in Burma and now Barclays What else has the City of London been up to

ldquoThe UK Government needs to investigate this fully and cut off all financial and insurance links to the regimerdquo

The FTUB is one of the newest trade union centres to affiliate to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) The Burmese regime has banned it and labelled it a terrorist organisation

Burma The struggle to free Aung San Suu Kyi is continuing with the Burma Campaign UK urging people to write to their MP asking them to sign Early Day Motion (EDM) 112 (see below) calling for the pro-democracy activistrsquos release

The EDM on Human Rights in Burma calls on the British Government to work with the UN to persuade Burmarsquos generals to enter into negotiations with Suu Kyi who spent her 65th birthday in detention in June

The concerns about the fate of Aung San Suu Kyi come ahead of fake elections planned later this year

Write to your MP to ask them to support Early Day Motion 112 and highlight to them that bull Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained for almost 15

years bull it is important that the British Parliament shows that

the world has not forgotten Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma

bull a fake election later this year will not bring democratic change or democracy to Burma

bull the British Government and international community must support the United Nations in persuading the dictatorship to enter into negotiations with Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic representatives

For more information visit wwwburmacampaignorguk

Early Day Motion 112 Human Rights in Burma

That this House sends its best wishes to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who will spend her 65th birthday in detention on 19 June 2010 calls for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma rejects the elections

planned by Burmarsquos generals later this year which due to election laws and ongoing repression in Burma cannot be free and fair condemns Burmarsquos new constitution which is designed to maintain dictatorship in civilian guise and does not grant rights or protection to Burmarsquos ethnic minorities notes that all diplomatic efforts to reform the dictatorshiprsquos sham roadmap to democracy have failed recalls that the United Nations Security Council General Assembly Secretary General and Human Rights Council have all stated that the solution to the problems in Burma lies in dialogue between the dictatorship Aung San Suu Kyirsquos National League for Democracy and ethnic representatives and calls on the Government to support a United Nations-led effort to pressure the dictatorship to enter into such dialogue

World honours teachers on

On 5 October 2010 the NASUWT will join hundreds of thousands of students parents and activists around the world to pay homage to all teachers who have been directly or indirectly affected by a major crisis

The earthquake in Haiti and the floods in China are two of the most recent humanitarian disasters that have had a massive impact on education in their respective countries The global financial crisis has also devastated many developed economies over the past year

The role of teachers and other education personnel remains vital to social economic and intellectual rebuilding All those who are fighting to provide quality education to children of the world can join teachers and their representative organisations to celebrate the profession and show them their

5 October

support For more information visit wwwnasuwtorguk

TUC ndash empowering Zimbabwean women The TUC and affiliates in the UK have been continuing to earlier this year with the support of the TUC work actively to secure equality and human rights for Commenting on the benefits of the programme Miriam women in Zimbabwe Katumba Vice Chairperson of the ZCTUrsquos Womenrsquos

Over 140 women attended a series of three-day civic Advisory Council said ldquoI am confident we can now education workshops that the Zimbabwe Congress of mobilise young women because we have the skills and the Trade Unionsrsquo (ZCTUrsquos) Womenrsquos Advisory Council ran knowledgerdquo

NASUWT backs Greek teachers over pay The NASUWT is backing the Greek teaching unionsrsquo campaign to protect the employment salaries and pensions of teachers in the wave of austerity measures and widespread cuts to public spending

The impact of the global financial crisis on economies around the world has been massive and profound In Greece the countryrsquos teachers and other public sector workers are being forced to bear the brunt of financial cuts identified as necessary to bail the country out of its huge budget deficit

Education International (EI) and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) have declared support for the Greek teachersrsquo unions (OLME and DOE) in the campaign against the cuts

Chris Keates General Secretary of the NASUWT the largest teachersrsquo union in the UK said ldquoOnce again we see public sector workers including teachers having to pay the price for the reckless behaviour of financial institutions It has been reported that high salary earners in Greece have not been declaring their full income to avoid paying tax and that this has exacerbated the countryrsquos already desperate financial crisis The result is draconian cuts in essential public services and public sector workers including teachers are being penalised for the greed of othersrdquo

Cyberbullying

Priority for jobs and growth The date of 29 September is set to be a historic day in the campaign against the co-ordinated austerity measures being imposed on citizens and public sector workers in response to the global financial crisis

On 29 September the NASUWT together with the TUC will be joining trade unions from around Europe to protest against the EU-wide austerity programme

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is co-ordinating the European Day of Action Protests by trade unions in various European countries will also take place in addition to the rally in Brussels

Commenting on the need for a collective show of strength Dr Patrick Roach NASUWT Deputy General Secretary said ldquoThe economic recession was caused by the reckless practices of banks and other global financial institutions and not by public sector workers Public sector workers and ordinary families should not be made to pay the price for the financial crisis The austerity measures would inflict immeasurable damage on education and other public services in the UK and elsewhere Cuts are not the answer There is an alternative approach to delivering economic recovery jobs and security for allrdquo

For further information on the work of the ETUC go to wwwetucorg

The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) Cyber-harassment project is a one-year European Commission funded project that aims to further implement the European Social Partnersrsquo Framework Agreement on Harassment and Violence at Work through its member organisations The project aims to raise awareness of cyber-harassment in schools and the impact of this on the health and working conditions of teachers

The NASUWT was nominated by the ETUCE to represent the UK on a Steering Group and guide and monitor the development of the project as national lsquoexpertsrsquo

Activities for the nearly completed 12-month project included two surveys of EU trade unions identifying the nature and extent of cyber-harassment from the perspective of teacher trade unions It also involved a seminar in Brussels and a closing conference in Bratislava during 2010 at which the NASUWT provided good practice examples of tackling cyber-harassment in schools

South Korea ndash crackdown on teacher union rights The NASUWT has joined with the Korean Teachers and Education Workersrsquo Union (KTU) to press for the withdrawal of government plans to dismiss 183 teachers for making private donations to political parties

On 6 May 2010 183 members of the KTU were charged for allegedly joining the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Two weeks later the Ministry of Education Science and Technology announced a plan to dismiss the 183 teachers for breaching the political neutrality clause that by law teachers and civil servants are expected to abide by Article 65 of South Korearsquos Civil Servantsrsquo Law forbids public school teachers from making any donation to political parties

Despite the formal legal process not even having begun 16 local education authorities across the country started disciplinary procedures Consequently KTU President Jeong Jin-hoo went on a hunger strike for 18 days to highlight the injustice of targeting members of the KTU

In recent years Education International (EI) has drawn the attention of the Lee Myung-bak administration to a number of incidents where disproportionate disciplinary measures have been taken against KTU leaders and members EI believes that the recent sanctions constitute anti-union discrimination

Earlier in 2009 16 KTU officials were detained after a march denouncing the South Korean governmentrsquos decision to punish 88 KTU teachers who were considered to be the instigators of a lsquoDeclaration of State Affairsrsquo signed by 17000 teachers The KTU

Declaration urged a wide-scale reform requesting the respect of human rights but also addressing other political issues In the petition 17000 teachers expressed that they were at a loss as to how to teach democracy to students in a context where the freedoms of the press expression and assembly are curtailed

The KTU perceive the disproportionate excessive and unnecessary harassment of KTU members as attempts to incapacitate the KTU which sometimes criticises government policies The KTU was established in 1989 and claims to represent 76000 members

In a letter to the South Korean President Lee Myungshybak Chris Keates NASUWT General Secretary said ldquoThe NASUWT finds deeply regrettable the restrictions imposed on the civil rights of public servants under South Korean domestic law and we believe that these disproportionate sanctions constitute anti-union discrimination against KTU

ldquoThe NASUWT requests that your government should immediately and unconditionally withdraw the plan to dismiss the 183 teachers Furthermore we seek your assurance that the human right of teachers to join trade unions and to bargain collectively free from government intimidation or threats of dismissal is respectedrdquo

The Government should be urged to withdraw the plan to dismiss the teachers and to ensure that South Korean teacher trade unionists can exercise basic civil and trade union rights without fear of persecution by the authorities

Call for G20 to promote quality education with qualified teachers The NASUWT and other Education International (EI) affiliates have called on the G20 to support a new global partnership for teacher education and professional development

An estimated worldwide shortage of more than ten million teachers over the next five years means that more support than ever will be needed to enable individuals to become qualified teachers and governments around the world will need to invest in skills training and continuing professional development (CPD) as a basis for securing economic prosperity sustainability equality and social cohesion

Chris Keates NASUWT General Secretary said ldquoQualified teachers are the key to quality in education Countries need to be working together to secure greater invest in education as a share of national

wealth not only to ensure economic competitiveness but also in order to tackle poverty and inequalityrdquo

EI General Secretary Fred Van Leeuwen explained that the worldwide demand for qualified teachers was winning support from all quarters ldquoThe consensus on this is welcomeWersquore calling on the G20 to support the concept in Toronto and to work with all the stakeholders especially EI and our members to put proposals in place for the next G20 in Seoul this Novemberrdquo

Over recent months EI has engaged in important consultations on this key issue with UNESCO the World Bank the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Economic Forum as well as Global Unions NGOs and major corporations

Overseas trained teachersrsquo International solidarity information gateway The NASUWT has launched the UKrsquos first national website dedicated to providing guidance and information to overseas trained teachers (OTTs) working in UK schools

The Support for Overseas Trained Teachers portal (wwwoverseastrainedteachersorguk) has been created in response to extensive research undertaken by the NASUWT which indicates that OTTs have limited access to information or support when they come to work in schools in the UK

The website is part of a two-year NASUWT project funded by the Governmentrsquos Union Modernisation Fund to provide impartial and practical advice to OTTs The portal offers an accessible route to online information on a range of subjects including how to check the qualifications needed for working in the UK and learning about the education system in the UK Although there is plenty of guidance available online for OTTs it can be difficult to track down The NASUWT portal aims to bring everything together in one place

Members and non-members who trained as teachers overseas can contribute to the project by completing the websitersquos electronic feedback form The NASUWT is keen to receive feedback about the usefulness of the site and to find out more about the type of information that OTTs arriving to work in the UK would find helpful

Useful websites Action for Southern Africa wwwactsaorg

Amnesty International wwwamnestyorg

The NASUWT is committed to working with teachers and trade unionists around the world to advance workersrsquo rights and the cause of education and social justice

The NASUWT is committed to

bull building the capacity of teacher trades in other countries

bull defending the human and trade union rights of teachers around the world

bull achieving the Education Millennium Development Goals for universal primary education for all boys and girls by 2015 and eliminating gender disparities in access to primary and secondary education

bull allocating the highest priority to activity that advances the Unionrsquos aim to secure improvements to the pay and working conditions of teachers

bull building human and trade union rights and securing the goal of education for all

bull making a significant difference in advancing trade

union and human rights in Burma Colombia Iraq and Zimbabwe

bull supporting disaster relief campaigns through the TUC and Education International (EI)

bull advancing the Unionrsquos key campaigns including through representation on major bodies campaigns and public protests

bull supporting the work of appropriate Nonshygovernmental Organisations (NGOs) particularly those working principally in the area of trade union and workersrsquo rights and educational equality

The NASUWT is a member of EI the global body that brings together education trade unions from across 173 countries

The NASUWT holds a seat on the EI Executive World Board and will be represented at the next EI World Congress which will take place in South Africa from 22-26 July 2011

Burma Campaign UK wwwburmacampaignorguk wwwnasuwtorgukinternational

Cuba Solidarity Campaign wwwcuba-solidarityorg Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD

Education International wwwei-ieorg wwwtuacorg

International Labour Organization wwwiloorg TUC wwwtucorguk General Federation of Iraqi Workers LabourStart ndash worldwide trade union news (updated wwwiraqitradeunionsorg daily) wwwlabourstartorg

NASUWT The Teachersrsquo Union

the largest teachersrsquo union in the UK

Hillscourt Education Centre Rose Hill Rednal Birmingham B45 8RS Tel 0121 453 6150 Fax 0121 457 6208

E-mail nasuwtmailnasuwtorguk Website wwwnasuwtorguk

Justice for Colombia wwwjusticeforcolombiaorg Make Poverty History wwwmakepovertyhistoryorg NASUWT International

Overseas trained teachersrsquo International solidarity information gateway The NASUWT has launched the UKrsquos first national website dedicated to providing guidance and information to overseas trained teachers (OTTs) working in UK schools

The Support for Overseas Trained Teachers portal (wwwoverseastrainedteachersorguk) has been created in response to extensive research undertaken by the NASUWT which indicates that OTTs have limited access to information or support when they come to work in schools in the UK

The website is part of a two-year NASUWT project funded by the Governmentrsquos Union Modernisation Fund to provide impartial and practical advice to OTTs The portal offers an accessible route to online information on a range of subjects including how to check the qualifications needed for working in the UK and learning about the education system in the UK Although there is plenty of guidance available online for OTTs it can be difficult to track down The NASUWT portal aims to bring everything together in one place

Members and non-members who trained as teachers overseas can contribute to the project by completing the websitersquos electronic feedback form The NASUWT is keen to receive feedback about the usefulness of the site and to find out more about the type of information that OTTs arriving to work in the UK would find helpful

Useful websites Action for Southern Africa wwwactsaorg

Amnesty International wwwamnestyorg

The NASUWT is committed to working with teachers and trade unionists around the world to advance workersrsquo rights and the cause of education and social justice

The NASUWT is committed to

bull building the capacity of teacher trades in other countries

bull defending the human and trade union rights of teachers around the world

bull achieving the Education Millennium Development Goals for universal primary education for all boys and girls by 2015 and eliminating gender disparities in access to primary and secondary education

bull allocating the highest priority to activity that advances the Unionrsquos aim to secure improvements to the pay and working conditions of teachers

bull building human and trade union rights and securing the goal of education for all

bull making a significant difference in advancing trade

union and human rights in Burma Colombia Iraq and Zimbabwe

bull supporting disaster relief campaigns through the TUC and Education International (EI)

bull advancing the Unionrsquos key campaigns including through representation on major bodies campaigns and public protests

bull supporting the work of appropriate Nonshygovernmental Organisations (NGOs) particularly those working principally in the area of trade union and workersrsquo rights and educational equality

The NASUWT is a member of EI the global body that brings together education trade unions from across 173 countries

The NASUWT holds a seat on the EI Executive World Board and will be represented at the next EI World Congress which will take place in South Africa from 22-26 July 2011

Burma Campaign UK wwwburmacampaignorguk wwwnasuwtorgukinternational

Cuba Solidarity Campaign wwwcuba-solidarityorg Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD

Education International wwwei-ieorg wwwtuacorg

International Labour Organization wwwiloorg TUC wwwtucorguk General Federation of Iraqi Workers LabourStart ndash worldwide trade union news (updated wwwiraqitradeunionsorg daily) wwwlabourstartorg

NASUWT The Teachersrsquo Union

the largest teachersrsquo union in the UK

Hillscourt Education Centre Rose Hill Rednal Birmingham B45 8RS Tel 0121 453 6150 Fax 0121 457 6208

E-mail nasuwtmailnasuwtorguk Website wwwnasuwtorguk

Justice for Colombia wwwjusticeforcolombiaorg Make Poverty History wwwmakepovertyhistoryorg NASUWT International