„ Capacity Building of Teachers Union of Serbia in Gender Policy “

Teachers Union of Serbia (TUS)Realization of project

Project period: 2011 – 2012.

Authorized person for the project realization- President of TUS Branislav Pavlović

Most work for the project was done by Borka Visnic, researcher and organizer of educational activities in TUS

Project coordinator : Marina Milenkovic

The main goal of our project was to achieve necessary knowledge and skills that women need in union work and strengthening the capacity of women network.

Most of the seminar issues were prepared and implemented by participants themselves.

Specialists from among the women were invited to take responsibility for the program.

In Serbia women have the same possibilities and achievements in education except vulnerable groups (Roma girls), but at the same time with lower employment rate, more family obligations...

With lower enrollment rate of the children in the preschool institutions, business activity of women is lower, but relatively high women rate among employers and representatives in National Assembly

Differences arise from the lower participation on the labor market, selection of professions with lower salaries, limitation of work force mobility and consequences of the crisis

Level Total Women Men %Women

Preschool education

4916 4595 321 93.47

Elementary schoools

21081 15386 5695 72.98

Secondary schools

6090 3729 2361 61.23

Students dormitories

1074 673 401 62.66

Higher education

2582 1646 936 63.75

Total 35743 26029 9714 72.82

Table 1. The structure of the members of TUS

Level Total Women Men %Women

Preschool education

32 31 1 96.88

Elementary schools

231 115 116 49.78

Secondary schools

71 30 41 42.25

Students dormitories

3 1 2 33.33

Higher education

38 16 22 42.11

TOTAL 375 193 182 51.47

TABLE 2. The presidents of unions from 2006 to 2011.

Level Total Women Men %Women

Preschool education

19 17 2 89.47

Elementary schools

313 138 175 44.09

Secondary schools

99 38 61 38.38

Students dormitories

20 7 13 35.00

Higher education

31 7 24 22

TOTAL 482 207 275 42.95

TABLE 2. The presidents of unions from 2011-2016.

Establishing of Gender Committee was organized in 2011., all necessary documents were adopted, Executive Board for Gender Committee was elected and the President of Gender Committee was elected.

Project Objectives, Expected results and Indicators

The first seminar took place in Belgrade in May 21, 2011.

Main objective was to receive information and gain knowledge about gender situation in our country, reasons for the project and background, wider perspective on gender policy in international perspective, women position among employees in education and in the union and comparative approach to the gender structure of new managerial structures in TUS

The main issue was the informative session on gender issues in legal perspective – situation in our legislation vs. international perspective, laws dealing with different issues of gender position and protection, different strategies and action plans on national level, with obligation for education and, most important – what is position of unions and specifically, TUS.

•Project objective : Established and functioning women’s network and executive committee with all necessary regulations, with 9 activities, was realized: TUS gender analyses in different bodies, ICT program for gender analyses (member – gender, age, organization, region, field is done, model for desk research is tested and introduced); survey on motivated women for the participation in women committee was realized, and the pool of motivated women according to the project criteria was done

•“Womenˈs corner” on the TUS web site was established, gender issues were published in the Newsletter “Sindikalno pero”

Project Objectives, Expected results and Indicators

Project objective - Pool of competent, skilled women

Activity 1 - participants received information and gained knowledge on the women position in the union

Activity 2 – two days seminar was accompanied

with learning and training program, printed materials on union policy, decision making process, workshops on the unionˈs activities in schools

Activity – Training and practicing skills seminar

Seminar for training and practicing skills for the decision making process, negotiations, lobbing and communications was, according to the evaluation lists and remarks of the participants: the most successful

35 women and 3 men participated in the seminar. The program of the seminar was very well prepared - the themes and methods were inspiring for the discussion and practical exercises

The main theme of the seminar was “Women are practicing the changes” with several subthemes: The Decision –making process, Negotiations and Collective Bargaining in the Union, Lobbying for “trade union matter”, Communication Skills and How to Improve them

• For all themes printed materials were prepared, practical exercises have been realized for each theme and each issue finished with recapitulation: what have we learnt?

• Working method was group activity with different tasks and reporting to the plenary sessions

The guest from AOb, Trudy Kerperien, presented to the participants of the seminar main data and facts on the women position in AOb, work and activities of the Women Committee and challenges they are facing in the education and union

We consider as very important the fact the Women Committee work became the regularly topic of TUS plan for this year and hope this is the beginning of the stable work in the future

Round Table was organized in Belgrade, June 8, in the Trade union center venue

About 50 participants (46 invited women and 5 men) very carefully listen to the expert for the gender issues, Biljana Maletin

Beside members of TUS Gender Committee and activists, the participants of Round Table were also 5 members of Gender Committee NTTU (“Nezavisnost”). They declared satisfaction with common activity in the area of common interests – improving the women position in education and unions

The topic of the Round Table was: “Women are improving the knowledge” suggested the broader approach to the issue of the gender equity and possible areas for improvements – from gender stereotypes to unsatisfied work and health protection, to lower pensions and more severe conditions for the pensions

The second part of the Round Table was on the topic “Women in the Education System – Women in the Curricula and Gender Equity”. Four presentations prepared by representatives from each part of the education system highlighted main questions of gender equity in preschool institutions, almost without employed men, the start of learning or stereotypes or gender equal relations, to the elementary schools and curricula where decade frontiers among genders are slowly going better

Womenˈs position in Higher education sector: they are fewer on the highest positions in faculties, but not unequal, except decision – making positions, as consequence of an “unwritten code”

The Final Conference has participated 57 persons: 37 members of women Committee, 10 participants from the region and 10 men, members of Republic Board

Annual Assembly Conference was held December 21, 2012 in town Arandjelovac. It was an opportunity to summarize two - year’s activities and to make the plans for the future. The official agenda was prepared for the participants, rapporteurs for each issue; the Executive Board of Women Committee was led the Assembly. The first issue was the information on the Women Committee in 2012, then conclusions of the Final Conference of the project. The proposal of the Policy of the Gender Equality of Teachers Union of Serbia was discussed and adopted.

As the final product of the project was published the booklet with title “Women in the Union – Women in the Education: the Reasons for the Action”

In the content of the brochure are some of topics we dealt during project realization, most interesting for the project participants and assessed as the most useful for the future work ( among issues are: the review of the legal regulation for gender equality, data of women position in Teachers Union of Serbia and education; issue of stereotypes we are growing with and possible ways of overcoming from preschool education to elementary schools and textboxes)

Special attention was devoted to the communication skills and assertive behavior as desirable model of communication, leadership and motivation for trade union work.

Conclusion and Future Plans

At the end of the project realization, we can say: all objectives are fulfilled. We have now the pull of trained, well informed and motivated women, ready to take responsibility in Regional Women Network and future work of Women Committee. The question of gender equality became the issue in trade union work, and both men and women became aware of the legitimacy of women requests.

First results are: the changes of the TUS Statute (it was regulated that at least one third of the members of TUS Republic Board and Executive Board should be women), the defined TUS policy on the gender equality, new knowledge of participants and new skills for union work.

The end of the project was coincided with start of the new TUS project – establishing Regional Centers (in cooperation with Lararforbundet from Sweden).

This way of organizing will provide the sustainability of the project results in the future

Хвала свима на залагању и пуно успеха у будућем раду