Polish teachers are anxiously looking at their wage strips, while the government and trade unions are clashing over future increases. Currently, the basic wage of a starting teacher with a master's degree and pedagogical preparation is only PLN 5153 gross. Although teachers received a 5% increase this year, the draft budget for 2026 already foresees only 3 percent. This position raises the opposition of the Polish Teachership Union (ZNP), which demands much greater changes and a link between wages and average wage in the economy. The key question is: will Prime Minister Donald Tusk's promises to velocity up work on the civilian task be met within the time limit expected by the teachers, or will real changes gotta wait until 2027?
How much does the teacher truly earn? authoritative Data and Reality
Teachers' salaries in Poland are regulated by the Teachers' Charter Act and the Minister of Education's Regulation. Although the amount is officially given PLN 5153 gross as a basic wage for a starting teacher with full qualifications, that is only a component of the salary. The Teacher's Charter shall besides specify the average wage per individual level of professional promotion, expressed as a percent of the base amount. In 2024 the base amount is PLN 5434.82.
Under these provisions, the average remuneration should be:
- for a beginner teacher: PLN 6672.31 gross (120% of the basic amount)
- for an appointed teacher: PLN 7826.14 gross (144% of the basic amount)
- for a certified teacher: PLN 10 000.07 gross (184% of the basic amount)
It is worth noting, however, that these amounts are only medium-sized amounts, which are to be guaranteed by local authorities on an yearly basis. This does not mean that each teacher receives specified a sum all month. Trade unions have been criticizing this strategy for years, calling it a "legal and accounting construct", which obscures the actual image of earnings.
Battle for Raises: ZNP vs. Government. What about the civic project?
The Association of Polish Teachership does not accept current rates or proposed increases. U.N.P. demands 10% wage growth and the intended link between teachers' salaries and the average remuneration in the national economy. In January 2024, a re-reading of the civilian bill was held in the Sejm, which then went to the Sejm subcommittee.
In November 2024, during the ZNP convention, Prime Minister Donald Tusk personally committed to speeding up the work on this project, declaring that "there would be no longer a corpse". Despite these assurances, at the end of April this year, trade unionists again called on the Prime Minister to "take serious care of teachers' salaries". ZNP expects a citizen task to be passed and enter into force from 1 January 2026. However, it is clear from the June message of the chief of the MEN, Barbara Nowacka, that this can only be met a year later. Minister Nowacka expressed her conviction that "as of 2027, erstwhile a citizens' task could enter into force, teachers' salaries would increase", asking the Sejm to "share, efficient civilian project". This discrepancy in dates is simply a key point in dispute.
Allowances: Are they saving the teacher's budget?
The average wage of teachers, in addition to the basic salary, besides consists of many allowances set out in the Teacher's Charter. Among them are: an allowance for the service of years, functional (for mentor, educator, methodical advisor), motivational, for working conditions, a Jubilee Award, a peculiar fund award, an additional wage for night work, an additional yearly wage (so-called thirteenth), a retirement and a wage for overtime and temporary replacements.
The amount of part of these allowances, specified as the traineeship allowance or overtime salary, depends on the amount of the basic salary. This means that the increase in basic wage automatically increases these components as well. The amount of another allowances is determined by the local authorities in the remuneration regulations. Traders have been stressing for years that this is the amount of the basic wage is crucial for the actual teacher's salary. They argue that no teacher receives a monthly Jubilee Award or pension check-in, making average wage simply a theoretical construct, and that the current wage strategy is ‘arbitrary’ and full dependent on policy decisions.
What does this mean for the future of education in Poland?
The current situation in which the government promises to accelerate work on a civilian project, but at the same time points to a hold in its implementation by 2027, puts teachers in a hard position. deficiency of concrete and fast action can lead to further demotivation in the teaching environment and hinder the acquisition of fresh qualified staff. The stagnation of wages, in the face of rising costs of living, straight affects the quality of work and the engagement of educators.
For the future of Polish education, it is crucial that promises concerning increases are not only made but besides timely. The discrepancy between the expectations of the ZNP for 2026 and the position of the government for 2027 becomes an inflammatory point which requires an urgent solution. Whether the government finds a way to accelerate wage improvement depends not only on the satisfaction of teachers, but above all on the stableness and improvement of the full educational strategy in Poland.
Continued here:
MOVING for teachers. The Tusk government promises a wage revolution, but the ZNP has another plans for 2026!
