Concrete program aiming to provide more services for teachers,

members of the trade unions

Two days Round Table organised in Tirana

As planned, the Round Table on providing more services for the members was organised in Tirana, on 23 February 2008. 26 participants from 17 main districts, out of which 11 women, took part in the Round Table. Both chairmen, Dobrushi and Kruja, as well as the Vice President of AOb, Ton Rolvink and Senior Adviser, Gijs van Dijk, took part and assisted in Round Table proceedings.
This RT was preceded by a concrete preparative work, including consultations with presidencies  and local leaders from some districts, preparation of a draft paper for discussions, asking for some experience also from some trade unions of other countries, like FLC (Italy), SVIZ (Slovenia), GEW Germany etc.
On behalf of both Albanian education trade unions, Mr. Dobrushi made an introduction where were identified what we offer to our members actually and what we intend to do in the near future, especially through the main tool, collective agreement with the Ministry of Labour, mentioning wage increase, improving working conditions, providing up to two salaries for the most active members, providing some facilities for local leaders, and so on.
Following, Mr. Ton Rolvink made an introduction about the experience of AOb, in providing services for the members,mentioning especially, some additional services, except those related to salaries and working conditions, like legal assistance, different agreements with social insurance companies, additional services through pension system and so on. Concrete examples were also given to the participants also from colleague Gijs pointing out the indispensability of providing more services for members as a precondiotion for increasing the membership and further empowring of the trade unions. Concrete interventions were also made by the chairman of SPASH, Mr. Kruja, who insisted for a better collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science, regarding the implementation of the Collective Agreement and especially regarding those articles which need decisions from the Council of Ministers, as well as better engagement of local trade union leaders to make possible regional agreements for more sevices in regional level.
Participants in the Round Table appreciated the work done by both education trade unions, especially through the Collective Agreement, asking at the same time for a better engagement and concrete working programs aiming to enlarge the services they provide only for their members, because this is the bet way to attract all teachers in the trade unions.
Some of them, as Aleks Dushi and Isa Reka, (Shkoder), Shpetim Sino and Lavdosh Llanaj, (Fier), Rustem Jahaj, (Durres), Bukuroshe Shabani, (Elbasan), Istref Haxhillari, (Pogradec), Ismet Spahiu, (Diber), Luan Zonja, (Lushnje), etc,  asked for concrete actions from the central elading bodies of FSASH and SPASH, especially regarding job security, avoiding ilegitim firing or tranfers from the working place, being focussed more and more to vocational training of teachers, approving the Status of Teachers, better motivation of teachers who are engaged in additional work having good performance, as well, implementation of Dutch experience also shown in this Round table, as well as the experince from trade unions of other countries.
They also apprecited the organisation of this Round table and the engagement of the central leading bodies of both trade unions in order tp provide more services for the members,in order to respond better the demands from their members.
After discussions and a constructive debate from many participants, a platform was elaborated for the work of both FSASH and SPASH during this year and further.
The coordinator of the project, Stavri Liko, spoke about the importance of following up the program approved in the Round table, also reminding the participants that another Round Table is going to be organised next year, aiming to analyse the work done and the resulkts ac\hieved, as well as determining about the new objectives for both trade unions.
A special session was held, following, in relation to the Code of Ethics, where both Albanian education trade unions informed the participants about the draft of this Code and Dutch colleagues explained how this system functions in Netherlands. By the end of this session was agreed that the draft of this Code to be published in the next issue of the Magazine and then a wide discussion will be among the members, which will help for making concrete proposals to the working group, composed also of other representatives from the Ministry of education and other educational institutions.
On behalf of both FSASH and SPASH, Mr. Dobrushi thanked the representtaives of AOb, the Vice President Mr. Ton Rolvink and the Senior Adviser, Mr. Gijs van Dijk, for their contribution to this Round Table and, through them, he forwarded many thanks to the Dutch trade unions FNV and AOb for the assistance and support towards our trade unions, giving a direct contribution to the empowring of Albanian education trade unions and the modernisation of education in our country.