WARSAW, Poland — Teachers in Poland went on an indefinite nationwide strike Monday to demand higher pay, after days of talks with the government failed to meet the demands of a majority of teachers’ unions.
The strike by school and kindergarten teachers is the first such widespread action by Poland’s chronically underpaid educators since 1993.
It comes at a sensitive time, just days before crucial end-of-school exams in primary and middle schools, and weeks ahead of this year’s matriculation exams for high school. It also comes in the middle of
campaigning for the European Parliament elections in May that are key for Poland’s rightwing government.
Warsaw city officials said about 80 percent of schools were closed on Monday. Preliminary figures from other regions showed that up to 90 percent of schools were affected in some areas, although the Education Ministry said 48.5 percent of schools nationwide were on strike at noon.
Poland has almost 400,000 teachers and some 4.5 million students.
The go-ahead for the protest was given by the main teachers unions, the ZNP, after last-ditch talks with the government
failed Sunday night. Only the small pro-government Solidarity union accepted the government’s proposals and was not on strike.
The teachers were partly spurred into action by anger that the conservative government, as part of its election campaign, has offered financial boosts to families, businesses, and to farmers for their pigs and cows but not to the education sector.
The unions originally demanded monthly raises of $260 and improvements to the salary system. Negotiators said they were willing to accept a compromise but found the government’s offer unacceptable.
A Section on 04/09/2019