European Trade Union Committee for Education

On 10th January 2015, all 6 Teacher Unions in Cyprus representing the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Communities signed a historic agreement about cooperation. The agreement comes after several attempts have been made during the last 14 years.

The agreement includes a rotation between the two Communities on the country seat in the ETUCE Committee for periods of 2 years. Furthermore, all unions have subscribed to common meetings of preparation, information and follow-up. The agreement comes into force as from the ETUCE Committee meeting on 18-19 March 2015.

Several contacts and pre-meetings have been arranged ahead of the final meeting with the participation of the European Director, Martin Rømer.The ETUCE President, Christine Blower, chaired the final meeting and said while adjourning the meeting: "This is clearly a historic moment and it shows the great courage of all the unions. There is no doubt that this agreement can have a positive impact on the current situation in Cyprus."

The Unions also considered discussing a similar rotation for the Sector Social Dialogue Committee, however, due to the complexity in this issue, it is foreseen to be discussed with the assistance of ETUCE during the next 2 years.A number of issues for possible further cooperation between the unions were listed in the fields of education, culture and social areas. The unions agreed to setup a working party to make a short list for possible implementation before the 19 March.

At the end of the meeting, European Director, Martin Rømer, stated: "This seems like a small step forward, however the significance of this agreement cannot be underestimated. It represents real progress for all involved with a progressive perspective."