Abstract

Date
-
Location
Budapest

The sharp rises in inequality, populism and right-wing extremism are just some of the offspring of neoliberalism and a decade of austerity. 

The 2021 issue of the ETUC-ETUI’s Benchmarking Working Europe report reviewed the many dimensions of the inequality problem in Europe. It argued that inequality is not just incidental to a particular crisis, but a structural problem created by an economic model which, for the past three decades, has progressively redistributed less and less wealth to the bottom percentiles of society while accumulating more and more at the top. Finally, it made the first steps towards identifying a range of policy actions that, with the necessary political will, could help to tackle inequalities.

The 2022 ETUI-ETUC joint conference seeked to trigger such a process of reflection and debate. The discourse surrounding inequality must now move beyond the important task of mapping out, measuring, and ascertaining the many facets and precise nature of this multidimensional and complex problem, and embark onto the more normative quest of imagining and defining a more equal society.

In this context, trade union education community is called to have a transformative role aiming at stimulating positive social change. With our work we can contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, target 4.7: "By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development".

During the ETUI’s Edudays 2022, the European trade union education community will meet to reflect and discuss on: 

  • inequalities: where are them and how they do interact 

  • equalities: what trade union education does already and what we can do more  

With plenary sessions and group activities, the conference aims to be an highly interactive and stimulating event, making the most of meeting in presence again.  

Working languages are English, French and Hungarian.

 

Agenda

Day 1 –  Monday 7/11 

  • AM/PM participants' arrival 

  • 17h30 – Welcome and opening speeches

  • 19h00 – Welcome drink and dinner 

Day 2 – Tuesday 8/11 

  • Session 1  

  • 9h00 - Introduction to Day 2 - Vera dos Santos Costa

  • 9h15 – Socializing activity: getting together again in presence - Valerica Dumitrescu

  • 10h20 - Presentation group work - Paula Mejía

  • 10h30 – coffee break 
     

  • Session 2  - Anna Kostetska

  • 11h00 - Inequalities: where are they and how do they interact? - Nicola Countouris

  • 12h30 – lunch break 
     

  • Session 3 - Franklin Kimbimbi

  • 14h00 – Foresight as a tool to increase equality- Giovanni Batista Possamai, General Secretary FELSA CISL Veneto

  • Equality plans training as a tool to implement the law - Begonia Marugan- associate professor at the Carlos III University of Madrid and assistant to the Secretariat of Women, Equality and Working Conditions of CCOO

  • How TU combat inequalities that come with digitalisation - Karin Debroey – international secretary ACV-CSC
     
  • 14h45 – Equalities: what trade union education does already – share experiences (group activity)

  • 15h30 – coffee break 
     

  • Session 4 - Paula Mejía

  • 16h00 - Equalities: what trade union education does already – share experiences (group activity + report back in plenary) 

  • 16h45 - Report back in plenary 

  • 17h00 - How to better cooperate - contact persons' activity

  • 18h00 – End of Day 1 

  • 18h30 - Tour in Budapest

  • 19h30 – Dinner in town

Day 3 – Wednesday 9/11 

  • Session 5 - Cyprian Szyszka

  • 9h00 - Introduction to Day 3

  • 9h05 - ETUI Work programme

    • 9h05 - where are we (2022/23) where we go (2023/24)

    • 9h20 - highlights - Cyprian Szyszka, Franklin Kimbimbi, Valerica Dumitrescu, Anna Kostetska, Paula Mejia

  • 10h20 – Equalities: what we can do more (New ETUI tool by Paula Mejia)

  • 10h30 – coffee break 
     

  • Session 6 - Anna Kostetska

  • 11h00 - Equalities: what we can do more 

  • 11h50: Results presentation in plenary 

  • 12h00: Highlights by Education Team 

  • 12h15: Next multiannual strategy - Vera dos Santos Costa

  • 12h20 – Conclusions 

  • 12h30 – Lunch  

  • Departure of participants