About the Platform
Solidarity is the cornerstone of the education trade union movement and lays the ground for its unity. In cooperation with the EI head office, the ETUCE member organisations and other European organisations, the ETUCE Secretariat provides support to the member organisations requesting intervention. Depending on the nature of the objectives, the ETUCE Secretariat performs different forms of solidarity work. In cases of emergency or immediate intervention, ETUCE writes protest letters addressed to the social partners, the government or other institutions to support the pressure that member organisations exert at national level.
ETUCE has recently renewed its membership to the Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP). FRP is the Fundamental Rights Agency’s channel for cooperation and information exchange with civil society organisations exchange with civil society organisations active in the field of fundamental rights, including combatting racism and xenophobia, at the national, grassroots, European or international level.
The FRP is a "mechanism of exchange and pooling of knowledge" created for facilitating a "structured and fruitful dialogue" amongst civil society organisations, between civil society organisations and the FRA, and between civil society organisations and other key players on human rights in the EU.
FRP is made up of representatives from non-governmental organisations dealing with human rights; trade unions; employers' organisations; relevant social and professional organisations; churches, religious, philosophical and non-confessional organisations; universities and other qualified experts of European and international bodies and organisations.
Methods of cooperation, dialogue and exchange of information include: thematic meetings, project cooperation and consultations on the annual Fundamental Rights Report.
The “2017 Fundamental Rights Platform” is composed now by 500 member organisations from the civil society at local, regional/national and EU level. Apart from ETUCE, it also count with national member organisations, and national and EU-level trade unions confederations, for instance, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI); Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro – CGIL (Italy); The European Trade Union Confederation-ETUC (Belgium); and the German Confederation of Trade Unions-DGB (Germany).
Among other aims, the voice of ETUCE and its member organisations will be then represented and heard at the time of preparing and adopting the Multi-Annual Work Programme of the Fundamental Rights Agency; of drafting the annual report of the Agency; and of collaborating in projects, activities and thematic meetings on topics of mutual priority such as Gender equality; LGBTI rights; Asylum and migration; Right of the child; Anti-discrimination; Racism, Xenophobia and related-Intolerances; and Roma inclusion.
Likewise, ETUCE will be also informed about relevant calls for proposals and for projects of special importance for us and will be invited to participate in special meetings, conferences and events of relevance to our work.