Polish teachers rally to demand wage hikes

Several thousand teachers rallied in Warsaw today demanding wage hikes a week after Poland's right-wing government announced a raft of generous spending measures in other sectors ahead of local elections this fall.

Public sector wages, especially in education and health care, have long been notoriously low in Poland, a 2004 EU member of 38 million people, where the average gross monthly salary is around 5,000 zloty (1,200 euro, USD 1,500).

"We're fed up with the disregard for teachers, we're fed up with pitiful teachers' salaries," Slawomir Broniarz, head of the ZNP Polish Teachers' Union, told protesters who blared horns and beat drums in front of the education ministry.

"The education minister says we earn 5,400 zloty, but that is over 2,000 zloty more than most of us actually receive," he said, demanding that each teacher receive a 1,000 zloty wage hike.

The ZNP has rejected assurances by Education Minister Anna Zalewska that a series of wage hikes planned over 2018-19 will meet their demands.

"I've worked for 38 years and I take home 2,800 zloty per month," a Warsaw teacher who identified herself only as Teresa told AFP, adding that new teachers net around 1,900 zloty per month.

"Pensions for retired teachers are pitiful. People leaving now get around 1,900 zloty per month but I know teachers who retired eight years ago get 1,200 zloty," she said, adding "how are you supposed to survive on that?"