Stand up for your rights

Issues Stand up for your rights

Protecting our democratic systems means speaking out, engaging and standing up for your rights and for those of colleagues and students. The most effective and sustainable means to improve the fate of students, the profession and communities remains collective action through democratic, independent trade unions.

Why did the Arab Spring succeed in Tunisia, but fail in Egypt? There was an explosion of information available in both places, people went to the streets, and social networking exploded, but little significant change has occurred in Egypt.

Why didn’t that happen in Tunisia? There were historical factors, among them that the dictatorship in Tunisia had educated its people, had relatively progressive laws on women’s rights, and was more secular than its neighbours.

The key difference was that in Tunisia workers had a legitimate, representative trade union organisation, the Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT).

During all the years of repression, which included greater or lesser attacks on the UGTT leadership, internal trade union democracy was maintained. Members may not have known a political democracy, but they lived democracy in their trade unions.

The UGTT was an actor in the economy, respected by employers, and had a large enough base and enough power that even autocrats had to negotiate with them.

When people went to the streets in Tunisia during the Arab Spring, region by region, they went to the UGTT regional structures.

Their struggle was adopted by the regions and they provided structures and democratic legitimacy for the struggle.

When the fight moved to Tunis, the UGTT national headquarters was prepared to take the lead, but it was not necessary. It was all over.

Later, when liberty was endangered by Islamic fundamentalists, the UGTT helped save democracy because it was a large, democratic organisation representing workers from all sectors and regions. It was, with its partners, recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.

There are so many stories of courageous teachers standing up for their rights and for democracy. Some have paid a very high price for expressing their views, establishing independent organisations and mobilising their colleagues.

From Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria to Djibouti, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain at the time of the Arab Spring. From Cambodia to Indonesia, from the stan countries to Turkey to the Balkans, from Chile to Brazil, to Venezuela, from South Africa and Zimbabwe to Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia, it is a very long list of countries and places where teachers, despite repression, stood up in defence of a democratic future for their nations.

The trade union challenge to repression is different from that of others in civil society. For example, the government of Iran understands that free trade unions are a threat to authoritarian rule.

When teachers, bus drivers, journalists and food workers formed independent unions, their leaders risked arrest, harassment, violence and years in prison.

For more than a decade, leaders of the clandestine teachers’ organisations have been arrested, tortured, sent to prison and some have even been sentenced to death.

The repression by Iran’s religious and military elite against trade union officers shows their understanding of the importance of legitimate trade unions, the appeal of democracy and the power of organised society.

Five names not to be forgotten, from the records of Education International:

Farzad Kamangar, one of the founders of the Iranian teachers’ organisation, was charged with endangering national security and sentenced to death after a trial lasting less than five minutes. He was executed on 9 May 2010.

Abdolreza Ghanbari, teacher activist, arrested on 4 January 2010 for allegedly belonging to an armed opposition group, first sentenced to death in 2012 after an unfair trial, then, in June 2013 sentenced to 15 years in prison, but released in March 2016 after a global solidarity campaign.

Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi, teacher activist, arrested on 24 April 2010, tortured, denied urgent medical care, and sentenced to six-years’ imprisonment on 22 February 2016.

Mohammad Habibi, teacher activist, sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison on 4 August 2018; the sentence also included prohibition of social and political activities for two years, a travel ban and 74 lashes.

Mokhtar Asadi, teacher activist, detained for 66 days in 2010, and again from September 2017 to July 2018 for “propaganda against the state”; arrested again on 14 February 2019 in Sanandaj, hours after he took part in a peaceful teachers’ protest, released on bail in March 2019 and awaiting trial.

Trade unions, because they are representative organisations, are often privileged targets of attacks from dictatorial regimes. But democratic governments too sometimes deliberately weaken trade union organisations, thus undermining institutions that are vital to democracy.

Standing up for your rights is not only a matter of defending one’s professional and trade union freedoms, but also about exposing weaknesses in democracy that undermine it.

This can be risky and thankless.

An example is the struggle against the scourge of corruption. Corruption not only violates the fundamentals of democratic governance and basic transparency, but it creates understandable public cynicism and may make the public willing to sacrifice democracy.

Corruption does not only take the form of outright thievery. In many countries, money to finance campaigns and to lobby elected officials has purchased access and, on occasion, decisions by elected officials. This is a form of democracy theft.

The influence of private money in politics, for example, seriously compromises democracy in the United States.

In the Philippines and Venezuela, people were willing to elect strongmen because of corruption.

The damage done to trade unions, the free press and other democratic institutions was enormous, but it was difficult to stand up against anti-democratic practices without looking like apologists for corruption. In Brazil, false corruption charges against former president and trade union leader Lula helped catapult corrupt rightwingers into power, which, in turn, led to the election of nationalist populist Jair Bolsonaro as president, a serious threat to education and trade unions. Corruption is also common in many countries in Asia and Africa.

The defence of democracy requires finding ways to make sure that it is defensible, including fighting the diversion and misuse of public funds.

Governments that have steadily eroded rights and democratic institutions, like those in Hungary and Poland, were freely elected to power.

The post-Cold War policy focus in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union on rapid movement to market economies often failed to put in place the necessary institutions to guard against corruption and arbitrary governance. They embraced market economies without the regulatory infrastructure for it to function properly or protect consumers, workers or the environment.

In some countries, like Bulgaria and Romania, political parties campaigned against corruption, won and became corrupt themselves. The cycle repeats.

Countries that have mineral or fossil fuel wealth are particularly vulnerable. The “partnership” between public and private can be costly and dangerous. In fact, the liberalisation of the world economy, accommodated and facilitated by national governments, is moving the balance of power to unelected corporations and undermining national sovereignty and democracy.

Serious damage also is done to democracy by a lack of transparency in government, which not only keeps abuses secret from the public and prevents public accountability but undermines confidence in government.

For many decades, Transparency International has documented such abuses.

Transparency is an important ingredient in democracy even beyond the misuse or possible misuse of public money.

It also means open public meetings, hearings and other consultations instead of a few people discussing and making decisions in secrecy. As 18th century English philosopher, jurist and social reformer Jeremy Bentham said, “Secrecy, being an instrument of conspiracy, ought never to be the system of a regular government”.

Transparency means that any policy, national or international, that affects the public is the business of the public.

Shortcuts to traditional transparency procedures such as publishing documents on web sites and giving a deadline for public reactions by email cannot replace social dialogue, proper consultations and public discussion.

Often the lack of transparency in public procedures links with complicity of government officials with vendors or other private parties.

The government of Liberia turned over so much of its public school system to an international private company, Bridge International Academies, that it became a governance scandal.

It has also caused distressing experiences for students and parents. Students were pushed out of school due to enrolment caps and 74 per cent of teachers lost positions in schools operated by that company.

Throughout the entire process, the Liberian government refused to release one single memorandum of understanding with the providers chosen as part of the school privatisation/ outsourcing arrangements.

They also refused to allow independent researchers to have access to the schools. In other words, the lack of transparency led directly to other undemocratic practices (Tyler, 2017, p. 24; Education International, 2017).

The above text is an excerpt from On Education & Democracy (2019) by Susan Hopgood and Fred van Leeuwen. The book contains 25 lessons from the teaching profession for educators. This is one of six lessons that have been identified by the SSTUWA as key organisational objectives following November State Council Conference 2019. This article has been edited for clarity and brevity. The full article and book can be read at: bit.ly/2w4kNvW

Seen around Retired teacher members welcomed back

In addition to hosting members for education and training, the SSTUWA also hosts meetings of the Retired Teachers’ Association (RTA).

The RTA hosts weekly meetings at the SSTUWA building to conduct activities such as talks, choir practises, literature group meetings and other general social gatherings. The COVID-19 crisis forced the union and the RTA to cancel its meetings at the SSTUWA building from earlier this year, but recently its members were welcomed back with a special luncheon to celebrate the easing of social restrictions in WA and subsequent resumption of RTA events at the union. The RTA’s Brian Lindberg thanked the union for organising the event and said members were appreciative of how they were spoilt as a group, while SSTUWA President Pat Byrne said the union was delighted to have the RTA back meeting in the building.

For more information about the RTA’s activities and how to be involved, turn to page 34 of this issue of Western Teacher.

RTA: Clare Gartner and Angela Quinn.

RTA: Nan Cahill.

RTA: Ann Strauss leads a literature group discussion.

RTA: Bert Berry and Terry McLaughlin.

RTA: Keith Davies and Pat Spillman.

RTA: Members tucking into their lunch.

National education and union news National education and union news

TAFE investment equals $92 billion annual economic dividend

A new report demonstrating TAFE’s role in Australia’s decades-long economic success story has warned that failing to invest in the sector will destroy one of the primary engines of economic growth, prosperity and equity in the Australian economy. The report by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute, An Investment in Productivity and Inclusion: The Economic and Social Benefits of the TAFE System, has revealed that despite years of significant funding pressure and policy failure, the TAFE system plays a huge and fundamentally important role in the Australian economy, contributing an estimated $92.5 billion each year. According to the report, TAFE: • Creates $84.9 billion in annual productivity benefits, including $25 billion in taxation revenue, which alone is more than four times its annual funding. • Has a $6.1 billion economic footprint, including purchases of goods and services, supply chain inputs and employment supporting 48,000 jobs. • Is responsible for $1.5 billion in reduced social expenses annually, lowering unemployment and supporting a healthier workforce and society. • Has created an increase in employment of around 486,000 positions. AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe (pictured above) welcomed the report, saying it validated the critical role that TAFE plays in the Australian economy, as well as TAFE’s social purpose in providing high-quality vocational education for all students and in particular, those at-risk and from disadvantaged backgrounds. “TAFE has made a huge contribution to Australia’s economic prosperity, despite years of what can only be described as policy vandalism of the vocational education sector,” she said. “For too long, governments have focused on marketisation, contestability of funding, student loans, reductions in public VET funding, and the direction of public funding towards privatised VET providers. “These are policies which have been detrimental to a vibrant TAFE system, and have had a devastating impact on staffing and students with courses and campuses closing across the nation. “Right now, what Australian workers need in a post-COVID economy is high-quality vocational education from the trusted public provider, TAFE.” Ms Haythorpe said that TAFE provided benefits that were critically important in addressing systemic inequality in Australia’s economy and society. “TAFE has a strong social contract with our communities, and as such, must be supported by governments,” she said “It is TAFE teachers who deliver these annual economic and social benefits despite years of skyrocketing workloads and severe cuts to the TAFE workforce. “For governments to jeopardise this by failing to recognise and invest in TAFE’s proven economic and societal benefits would be a mistake of historic proportions.” Ms Haythorpe said TAFE was the only institution with the infrastructure, the workforce and the trusted reputation to be able to provide the high-quality vocational education qualifications needed today to recover from the COVID crisis. “The report shows that Australia is no longer replacing previous generations of highly-qualified TAFE graduates at the same rate, due to funding cuts over the last seven years, placing the flow of economic benefits generated by welltrained, better-paid TAFE graduates in jeopardy,” she said. “The AEU welcomes the report’s recommendations including that there is an urgent need for a comprehensive public-led reconstruction program that invests in the skills and vocational education of workers and young people. TAFE is ready to meet this need but needs the backing of all governments to do so. “This is a historic opportunity to strengthen the essential role that TAFE institutes already play in labour market planning and coordination. “This report shows that Australia’s historic investment in TAFE generates huge economic benefits every year.

Australia’s post-COVID-19 response must start with revitalising TAFE as the trusted anchor institution of vocational education, and it must be funded accordingly with a The ACTU has urged the Morrison Government to expand its pandemic response and adopt a comprehensive jobs plan in a pre-budget submission it has submitted to the Treasurer. Noting that the Morrison Government’s fiscal response has been smaller as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) than Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Hong Kong, Germany and the United Kingdom, the submission calls on the government to adopt a national economic reconstruction plan. The ACTU has put forward five practical proposals in its job plan: • A national strategy for early childhood education and care including free, universal, accessible childcare. This will support women being able to work, grow the economy and give our kids at the very best start in life. • A training for reconstruction plan which includes 150,000 free TAFE courses and a 50 per cent government wage subsidy that goes for the life of apprenticeship or traineeship and delivers a job at the end. The wage price index has slumped to 1.8 per cent over the year, down from 2.1 per cent in the March quarter, and only 0.2 per cent over the last quarter – the lowest quarterly and yearly rates since the index was started in 1997. In the private sector, wage growth was negative for the first time in the history of the index, at -0.1 per cent. Wage growth is how the economy will be restarted. We cannot allow more than minimum 70 per cent of total government VET funding. “The Morrison Government must support TAFE in the upcoming October federal • A Rediscover Australia initiative to help out travel and hospitality sectors and regions recover and survive. • A National Reconstruction Investment plan to significantly boost investment in public capital projects, which should start with short lead time projects like public and social housing. Boosting public capital spending back to 6.5 per cent of GDP. • A sustainable manufacturing strategy which will support and expand manufacturing, assist both its shift to low cost and sustainable renewable energy and the production of the hightech products of the future. Starting with governments own procurement as a powerful lever. ACTU President Michele O’Neil (pictured above right) said throughout this pandemic the Morrison Government had been consistently slow to act and has put forward a smaller fiscal response than many other developed economies. “The crisis has been made worse by persistent uncertainty about the economy and the lack of a national economic reconstruction plan from the Morrison seven years of near record-low wage growth to continue through this period. The ACTU stands ready to work with the Morrison Government to implement its comprehensive jobs plan, submitted to the government. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said working people had to lead the recovery. “Wage growth and domestic consumption are how the economy will be re-started. budget so that it can do what it does best – provide a high-quality vocational education for all.”

ACTU provides plan for jobs in pre-budget submission

To read more visit bit.ly/3aNMBVS Government,” she said.

“We need a comprehensive jobs plan which will put working people first and ensure that we have better, stronger rights as we recover from this crisis than we did going into it.

“Our plan calls for the government to use its power to create secure jobs for the millions of Australians without a job, or reliant on government support to stay in work.

“We stand ready, as we have for months, to work with government to create jobs

Wage growth slumps to historic low

and support Australian industries.” This is also why JobKeeper and JobSeeker should not be cut,” she said.

“We are almost six months into this pandemic and we have no jobs plan. This data shows one is desperately needed.

“We need to put money in the hands of working people and give them the security they need to spend it. If we don’t support working people, they can’t support the economy.