The Polish Teachers' Union is preparing to organize a demonstration, which will begin on September 1 at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Ministry of National Education, ZNP spokeswoman Magdalena Kaszulanis told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Thursday. We see that the chances of meeting our demands are slim, she added.
At the end of June, the Main Board of the Polish Teachers' Union decided to declare a protest, unanimously adopting a resolution on the matter. Unionists cited, among other things, the government's “sluggish action” regarding their community. Among their main demands were a 10 percent pay raise from September 1, 2025, and the adoption of a citizens' draft amendment to the Teachers' Charter, linking teachers' salaries to the average wage in the economy, with the amendment taking effect on January 1, 2026.
If their demands are not met by August 29th, they announced a demonstration. For now, we're not talking about a strike, they stressed.
In an interview with PAP, the ZNP spokeswoman said that “of course, the deadline for meeting the two main demands is August 29th.” “Nevertheless, the parliamentary calendar is what it is, and we see that the chances of meeting these demands are quite slim. That's why we are preparing a demonstration, ” she emphasized.
She announced that the demonstration will begin on September 1st at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Ministry of National Education. “Teachers will be there, as well as representatives of higher education institutions and education workers. We will be there to speak about our demands,” Kaszulanis added.
When asked if the ZNP was also considering a possible strike, she informed them that this was a decision of the ZNP's Executive Board, which will meet at the end of September. “We are now engaged in preparing for the demonstration,” she added.
In June, the Presidium of the Main Board of the Polish Teachers' Union (ZNP) was ordered to “appoint a team and develop instructions for intensifying protests in educational institutions across the country.” A calendar of “further protest activities” is also to be created.
Kaszulanis told PAP that the team's work hasn't been finalized yet. “I think it will be in early September, after the demonstration,” she said.
As part of its protest alert, the ZNP announced an action aimed at “informing the public about the growing problems in the education system and the ZNP's demands addressed to the government, the Minister of Education and the parliamentary majority.”
Over the past few months, Sławomir Broniarz, president of the Polish Teachers' Union (ZNP), has repeatedly pointed to the “slowness” in the Sejm's work on the union's draft amendment to the Teachers' Charter. The Sejm held a second first reading of the bill on January 25, 2024, after which it was referred to a parliamentary subcommittee. It has met three times so far, most recently in March.
In November 2024, during the 43rd National Congress of Delegates of the Polish Teachers' Union (ZNP), the Prime Minister pledged to accelerate work on this project. “There will be no more delays,” Donald Tusk assured at the time. At the end of April of this year, unionists appealed to the Prime Minister to “seriously address teachers' salaries.”
A June statement by Barbara Nowacka, head of the Ministry of National Education, indicates that the ZNP's demand for the adoption of the citizens' bill will be met a year later than unionists expect. “I am convinced that from 2027, when the citizens' bill can be implemented, teachers' salaries will increase,” Nowacka said at the time, asking the Sejm for “joint, efficient processing of the citizens' bill.”
In turn, Deputy Minister of National Education Katarzyna Lubnauer, commenting on the ZNP's decision to issue a strike alert, admitted in June that “given the increase in education spending and the legal solutions that trade unions have been calling for for years, and which have already been translated into draft laws, such a decision may be somewhat surprising.” She noted that “never before has the ministry been as open to cooperation with unions as it is now.”
When union members pointed out that the pace of work was too slow, the deputy minister replied: “I know that in the days when law was not created through government bills, but through parliamentary bills, we had a situation where a bill was submitted to the Sejm without consultation, without proper legislative work. We now have full procedures for all our bills.”
Some of the ZNP's demands have been met, including the submission of a major amendment to the Teachers' Charter to the president at the end of July. If signed by President Karol Nawrocki, it is scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2025, with the exception of provisions that have financial implications for local governments; these are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, or September 1, 2026.
The Ministry of National Education (MEN) leadership has also repeatedly reminded teachers that teachers will receive a 30% or 33% raise starting January 1, 2024. “After another year (in 2025 – PAP), it will be 5%, and the following year it will be 3%,” Nowacka said in the Sejm at the beginning of July.
The National Education Section of the Solidarity Trade Union is also planning a “large nationwide demonstration” for September 13th. A special community event is being prepared for October 14th, National Education Day. Earlier, on August 5th, trade unionists protested in front of the Sejm building. (PAP)
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