Teachers' protest. What are they demanding?

Teachers’ protest. What are they demanding?

Teachers feel cheated by the government because, as they argue, their bill concerning salary increases has stalled in the Sejm, and earlier promises regarding wage hikes have not been fulfilled.

The main demand of the protesters is to change the method of determining teachers’ salaries. The National Teachers’ Union (ZNP) has long insisted that teachers’ wages be linked to the average wage in the economy. However, the government refuses to agree to this solution, even though, as teachers point out, the current parliamentary majority had declared its support for linking their salaries to the average wage in the economy.

We want to remind government politicians and the Prime Minister of the promises they made to teachers, which they have still not kept, and more than two years have already passed, says Magdalena Kaszulanis of the National Teachers’ Union, which is organizing the protest.

Teachers dissatisfied with current raises

Union representatives argue that the currently proposed solutions—raises tied to inflation adjustment—are insufficient for them.

The ZNP also draws attention to the situation of teachers starting their careers: the basic salary of a beginning teacher is only 502 PLN higher than the minimum wage.