One of the unions’ demands is: link teachers’ pay to the average wage in the economy. This, they explain, would help them avoid falling into the trap of increasing the minimum wage every year. A draft citizens’ law on this subject is currently before the Sejm and has been approved in the first reading.
According to the Polish Teachers’ Charter, it should be written in the Teachers’ Charter that the average salary of teachers is:
- beginning teacher – 90 percent,
- appointed teacher – 125%,
- certified teacher – 155 percent
– average salary for the third quarter of the previous year.
Minister Barbara Nowacka said on TVN that work on this project is ongoing.
In April, the deputy head of the Ministry of Education, Henryk Kiepura, spoke about the issue. In response to a parliamentary question, he emphasized that: “During the work of the working group on teacher pay, the issue of how to finance teacher pay may also be considered. Legislative changes in the above area and a possible assessment of the intended effect will be possible after the work of the working group is completed.“.
He also emphasized that: “Despite the record increases in teachers’ salaries, the Minister of Education is open to a broad dialogue with the communities interested in education. The current solutions provided for in the Teachers’ Charter Act, in the opinion of the educational community, no longer guarantee an adequate classification of the teaching profession, nor do they motivate people to pursue this profession.“.
During Minister Barbara Nowacka’s Monday press conference She no longer spoke about teacher pay raises, but about salary indexing:
It is obvious that there will be an indexation of teachers’ salaries. This is absolutely obvious to us. But we also pay close attention to demographic changes. Because it is not just about pay, but also about working conditions and the workplace. I am not announcing any revolution here. I am announcing that we will look very carefully at where, in what situation and how to support teachers.
At the same time, he stressed that this year’s raises have served their purpose: “I feel that the raises, first of all, have stemmed the tide of layoffs. That was the original goal, because we saw a lot of teachers resign. The raises have helped those who are in the profession to decide to leave their jobs and stay in this profession.
Teachers also hoped to introduce an allowance for difficult working conditions with refugee children. Let us recall that from September 1, 80,000 more children from Ukraine will go to Polish schools. However, some estimates indicate much higher numbers. So far, the only real relief for teachers has been the introduction of a new profession – intercultural assistant. However, without additional funding, schools cannot afford to employ them – as a result, one school in Poland is actively looking for them.
Therefore, unionists want teachers who work with refugee children to be paid allowance for difficult working conditions. However, Deputy Minister Joanna Mucha dashed hopes of such an addition being introduced.
– German teachers work with Polish children and do not receive any benefits. French teachers work with German children who have moved to France and do not receive any additional remuneration for this. Migration and the fact that we are increasingly mobile is a normal phenomenon in our times. We must be aware of this. Today we have a wave of refugees from Ukraine, but in Poland there are already migrants from various countries around the world and their children have already been born but have not yet reached school age. So There will be more and more children from migrant families in the Polish system and we have to recognise that this is an element of our modern times. Therefore, I do not think that these are particularly difficult conditions. This is what a modern Polish school looks like, the deputy minister said.
The next Education Remuneration Team meeting will be held on August 22.
