We demand:

 

A decent working environment – a safe and healthy learning environment for teachers and learners, appropriate class-sizes and adequate pedagogical resources in the classroom;

 

Living wages - salaries that allow for decent living conditions and that are regularly paid;

 

Equal pay and equal rights for women - female teachers should not experience discrimination of any form and governments should ensure the empowerment of women in the education setting, in decision making and in the workplace;

 

Initial and ongoing professional development – the opportunity to gain and to develop professional skills, to be kept up-to-date with new information and pedagogical techniques, and to develop a career;

 

Involvement in policy-making - to ensure that new policies reflect the reality of the classroom, social dialogue should be an integral part of education planning and policy formulation;

 

Collective bargaining to defend and enhance teachers' rights - working conditions, as well as quality assessments of teaching procedures, must be negotiated between representatives of the government/employers and the representative education unions.