ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of education trade unions, at the European Union (EU) and member state level, as policy actors in the “Europeanizing” of education policy. The role is located in terms of the EU’s historical commitment to social dialogue between employers and trade unions as a foundational element of Europe’s social market model. The chapter demonstrates how education trade unions have sought to influence education policy in an increasingly complex environment in which distinctions between economic and social policy have become blurred. It concludes by assessing the future prospects for education trade unions in a context where on-going crises (economic, social, and environmental) place the social dialogue model under increasing pressure.
