1. Introduction

Globally, teachers’ unions have been forced to respond to ‘educational reforms [that] have profoundly altered teachers’ work and professional identity’, including new curricula, new forms of accountability and standardised testing, as well as decentralisation and privatisation (Bascia and Stevenson 2017:5). In some national contexts, these pressures have undermined previously strong teachers’ unions; in others, they have made the difficult task of union-building even more difficult. In much of the Asia-Pacific, they add further layers of complexity to already-complex situations which are too often characterised by government hostility, in some cases even union-busting. The question, then, is what can teachers’ unions do to protect and further their members’ interests in such contexts?

In this report we provide a critical analysis of the degree to which ‘union renewal’ is present in the education sector in the Asia-Pacific, and what forms those renewal efforts currently take. Based on this analysis, we propose a possible model of education union renewal to be considered for further development by selected EI affiliates in partnership with Education International’s Asia-Pacific Office (EIAP). In reaching this objective, we assess unionists’ understanding of the importance and process of ‘transformation’ and/or ‘renewal’, and the extent to which (a) there is appetite for it, and (b) if it is already taking place. As part of this endeavour, we consider unions’ efforts to:

− reach grassroots members − develop new strategies to organise and mobilise the membership − prepare grassroots/workplace representatives for leadership − build a narrative around common issue(s) − communicate that narrative for broader advocacy and outreach − foster partnerships through effective communication

We begin with a discussion of the scope and methodology of the report and the basic principles of union renewal. We then turn our attention to ten teachers’ unions from eight countries in three sub-regions within the Asia-Pacific (South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific), considering their demographics and strategic orientation, as well as the challenges they face and the opportunities available to them, and their potential (and appetite) for renewal. We then discuss a possible model of trade union renewal before concluding with our overall observations and recommendations for teacher union renewal in the region.