Minister of Education and Science Przemyslaw Czarnek and the Ministry’s Secretary of State Dariusz Piontkowski met with teachers’ trade unions as part of a team on the professional status of education staff. The main topics of discussion were early retirement for teachers, compensation benefits, job evaluation and teachers’ salaries.

Minister Czarnek, commenting on the course of the talks with the unions, said that the government wants further raises for teachers and a return to early retirement for this group. “We have been implementing the increases since 2015, since we have been in power”, the minister stressed.

Referring to the trade unionists’ demands for raises, the minister pointed out that “to a large extent the expectations have been realised”. 

According to Minister Czarnek, trade unionists are blurring the reality. “We do not like such a role of unions. We have been implementing salary increases for teachers since April last year – April, September and January, in connection with the new budget law”, he pointed out.

The minister reported that salaries for the lowest paid teachers had risen by almost 80%, while the top earners had received a 55% pay rise.

“We want the raises to be paid to teachers even faster, but we have a war, so we have to wait to see how this budget will be implemented during the year”, added Przemysław Czarnek.

Deputy Minister Dariusz Piontkowski, referring to changes in the regulation on minimum rates of basic remuneration for teachers, stressed that it is being consulted all the time.

“It will enable teachers to be paid according to the new rates, taking into account a 7.8% pay rise. The draft ordinance is in fact a result of the budget act that has already been adopted by the Sejm, and it cannot go beyond the extent of the increase that was adopted in the budget act”, the deputy minister informed.

Adrian Andrzejewski