Delegations of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), Education International (EI) and representatives of international organizations attended the IX reporting-election congress of the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG).

"Solidarity and Trade Union Organization do not have borders and nationality. The trade union is a large family of employed people worldwide. Today if we exist, continue to work and developing day-to-day is the result of support and help of this big family and international trade union organization.

Over the past eight years, our organization, based on our transitional stages, is in the special focus of the European Trade Unions Committee for Education. They represent our success at the level of the European region, which further raises our responsibility and motivation," - said ESFTUG’s President Maia Kobakhidze.

The European Region of the Education International (EI) is a global organization of 132 organizations and 11 million members of 51 countries. Maya Kobakhidze called the unprecedented incidents of the two leaders of the international organization coming to Georgia and participating in the 9th congress.

"I would like to thank once again to the President of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) Christine Blower and the European Director Susan Flocken for the unanimous and unprecedented support and assistance towards our organization.

I would particularly like to emphasize the assistance of Mr. Martin Romer, Special Guest of the 9th Congress of the ESFTUG, in 2010-2016, when he was a European Director. Martin Romer personally planned and implemented our organization’s support and assistance events.

In 2014-2018, ESFTUG actively participated in conferences and workshops organized by the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE).

In 2015, at the 7th World Congress of Education International (EI) in Ottawa, ESFTUG has presented a specially prepared documentary film "The Passing Way 2010-2014". For the purpose of sharing the experience, ESFTUG’s President and Executive Vice President informed the Delegates of the World Trade Union Congress about ESFTUG’ activity during the organization's crisis and successful results achieved in the restoration process.

In the years 2014-2016, at the Conferences and Workshops organized by ETUCE-ETUI, ESFTUG provided its visions and approaches to the vital component of continuous education - professional education;

ESFTUG actively participates in conferences organized by the European Trade Union Committee for Education. ESFTUG has presented presentations on topics such as: "Competences and Professional Development of Employees in Vocational Education in European Countries", "Vocational Education Reforms and Challenges in Georgia", "Gender Equality" and "Trade Union Development Strategies for Central and Eastern European Countries";

On April 4, 2017, at the meeting of the collegiate body of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) in Brussels, before the representatives of 48 countries of the European Union, ESFTUG’s leaders presented information on the sectoral agreement, ongoing workshops with the Ministry of Education and presentation of the final version of the sector agreement’s project initiated by the ESFTUG;

On September 27-29, 2017, at the Round Table of ETUCE and Central and Eastern European education trade union, according to the ETUCE management's decision, "ESFTUG, as an example of successful activity," ESFTUG’s leadership presented the presentation – “teacher's status, attraction and attachment of the teachers";

On March 22-23, 2018, "The 8th Summit of Teachers Profession" (ISTP) was held on the topic "Global Dialogue on Teacher’s Profession", organized by the International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Education International (EI) in Lisbon. By the invitation of the organizers and the Minister of Education of Portugal, the Georgian delegation first took part in the work of the summit. At the request of the organizers, in the Georgian delegation were the Minister of Education and Science, the President of the ESFTUG and the founder of the Association of Georgian School Administrators. The International Summit (ISTP) strengthens a constructive and social dialogue between social partners;

The preparation of young leaders is one of the main tasks of ESFTUG. A five-member delegation of the ESFTUG’s Young Leaders were invited by the "Belarusian Trade Union Workers and Science (BTUWES)" to participate in the young trade union international education forum - "TEMP 2018" in Minsk for sharing the experience of the partner organizations of the "Education International" and "European Trade Union Committee for Education".

The ESFTUG’s five-member delegation was headed by Ucha Bakuradze, Head of the ESFTUG’s Legal Department. Among the members of the ESFTUG’s delegation were the newly elected chairman of the ESFTUG’s Central Office’s primary organization Megi Sakandelidze, Keso Osishvili, head of ESFTUG’s Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi branch organization and Active Members of the ESFTUG’s Adjara Autonomous Republic: English language Teacher of Khelvachauri Municipality village Pera public school Nino Varshanidze and biology and English language teacher of the Batumi N7 public school Irina Tsintsadze;

From 26 June to 5 July 2018, the International Labor Organization (ILO) organized training course "Gender Audit Facilitator Certification" in Turin, where the issues of gender equality were discussed. Melania Darakhvelidze, the head of ESFTUG’s "Financial and Material Resources Management Department" took part in the training;

On May 7-8, 2018, In Baku, ESFTUG’s Executive Vice-President Marie Alughishvili and Ucha Bakuradze, head of ESFTUG’s Legal Department, participated in the conference organized by ETUCE's Central and Eastern European Education Trade Unions - "Gender Equality in Education and with Education". At the Summary Plenary Session of the Conference - "Women Leaders - Gender Context of Leaders: How to Improve Women's Representation and Ensure Their Involvement in decision making processes in Education".

I would like to express my gratitude to the support of Danish upper secondary schools National Trade Union (GL) for Georgian teachers. In partnership with us, Danish colleagues are implementing the 18-month project "Learning Advocacy of Education Policy in Georgia and Development of Democratic Management Skills in School, Cooperation with Teachers’ trade union".

The first phase of the project envisaged the development of professional competences and skills of teachers of the last level of Georgian public schools. Trainings were conducted by Danish Expert-teachers on topics: "Culture of Democratic Management of school", "Development of Evaluation Systems and Feedback", "Using Internet-Communications and Modern Technologies in the Lesson Process" and "Pupil-Oriented Teaching-Learning Environment, Modern Pedagogical Methods ".

All of these activities are carried out in the background that in recent period, in our country is active and is being discussed to implement and develop the Scandinavian model in general education system.

In order to promote partnership development and exchange programs between Denmark and Georgia, teachers of Rustavi N:24 Georgian Gymnasium Ketevan Chankseliani and Galina Dughashvili visited Denmark for a week by invitation of Danish trainer experts. Georgian teachers got acquainted with Danish teaching methods and assessment systems at the Danish Gymnasium.

Dear colleagues, as promised, our organization has completed transition from Soviet to modern trade union Soviet model of trade union is the history.

We still hope on support of international organizations and local international representatives on the difficult road of construction of trade union with the modern Western values. I am grateful to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and representatives of the American labor International Solidarity Georgian programs for support and help.

It is a great honor for us that Gocha Aleksandria Specialist of the Eastern European and Central Asian Employee Support Programs and Guranda Ghoghoberidze, an assistant of Georgian programs of the Solidarity Center of American Labor are attending the 9th congress of the ESFTUG. On behalf of the delegates of the congress and all members of the ESFTUG, ESFTUG’s president thanked members of the delegation and partner organizations for their appreciation and support, .

"On behalf of the 9th Congress and Union Members, I would like to thank: Marianne Brinch Fischer, Secretary General of GL, Hans Laugesen Officer of International Affairs of Danish upper secondary schools’ teachers’ trade union (GL), Peter Bouman – from German Education Union (GEW), Elen Sholter from Netherlands Education Trade Union (AOB), Yanka Takeva, head of the Bulgaria Education Trade Union (SEB), Yorgan Krasev from Bulgaria Education Trade Union, Slavomir Bronići President of Polish Education Trade Union (ZNP), Dorota Obadnik international secretary of Polish Education Trade Union (ZNP), Lubov Harbarenko, from Ukraine Education Trade Union (TUESWU), Mirza Japarzade, Suleiman Mamedov and Goshar Iagobov form Azerbaijan Education and Science Workers Trade Union (AITUCEW), Natalia Khomenko from Belarus Education Workers Trade Union (SBPES), Genadi Donos from Moldavia Education and Science Workers Trade Union (ESTUFM)".