On Wednesday, after 9 p.m. a meeting between President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki came to an end. They spoke about the demands put forward by Polish teachers, which include an increase in wages. The meeting in the Presidential Palace lasted about two hours.
Andrzej Duda announced on Tuesday that he intended to invite PM Morawiecku for a discussion on teachers' demands. During the meeting with residents of Wolsztyn (Greater Poland Voivodeship), the president admitted that "the situation of teachers isn't an easy one and their demands are justified". He added that "teachers in Poland should earn decent money. They carry out a very important mission".
"At the same time I'd like everyone to understand one thing: not all demands can be satisfied at once. This has to be a process and we must find a way to it. I hope that we will be able to reach an agreement, so that the teachers could get what they want without any collateral damage done to the young students," said the president. "I want to ask both the teachers and the trade unions to take into consideration this special, difficult time for the children and their parents," he added. "Nevertheless, it's goes without saying that we must sit down and discuss this problem. I give you my word that I will discuss it with the prime minister. This is an important and serious situation and I believe that we will find a solution," Andrzej Duda announced.
Since the 5th of March, a strike referendum organised by the Polish Teachers' Union is ongoing. It will last until the 25th of March. It's taking place in all schools where no agreement have been reached regarding a 1,000 zlotys raises for teachers. If the majority opts for a strike, it will begin on the 8th of April.
It means that the strike may coincide with the external exams scheduled for April: gymnasuim exams are scheduled for 10, 11 and 12 of April, whereas the 8th grader exams for 15, 16 and 17 of April. High school final exams are scheduled to begin on May 6.
In the course of negotiations that commenced in January, the Minister of Education Anna Zalewska offered that the third promised raise for the teachers would come earlier than planned. This would be the last one of the three 5-percent raises promised by the former PM Beata Szydło in 2017. The first raise started from April 2018 and the second from January 2019. According to the draft bill that is currently under consultations, the teachers would get the third raise in September 2019. Originally, the last raise was supposed to start from January 2020.
The minister also promised additional "starter" benefits for trainee teachers, as well as rewards for exceptional performance for all teachers, not only those holding diplomas.
All three major teachers' trade unions rejected this offer and put forward their demands. Polish Teachers' Union wants the so-called basic wage increased by 1,000 zlotys. Trade Unions' Forum demanded wages of all teachers to be increased by 1,000 zlotys, regardless of level of advancement. Teachers' "Solidarity" union initially demanded wages increase by 15-percent. However later on, they said that they want raises to be structured the same way it was done in uniformed services, namely increase by 650 zlotys starting January 2019 and by further 15 percent starting January 2020, regardless the level of advancement.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24