The highest salary increases for teachers in recent years occurred in 2024, thanks to the current government's decision. At that time, the raise for appointed and employed teachers was 30%, and for novice teachers 33%. As the ruling party argued, such a large increase was due to the desire to catch up on long‑standing salary arrears in education. Subsequent years were not as fruitful for teachers. In 2025 the salary increase was 5%, and in 2026 it was 3%. In 2027 the government initially planned a 2.5% raise, but after teacher dissatisfaction it agreed to a 3% increase. However, this was not accepted by the profession. “We want and have the full right to demand a real increase in wages, but above all a wage increase based on civic initiative,” emphasized Sławomir Broniarz, president of ZNP.
ZNP proposes a ready solution to the government
The Polish Teachers' Union proposes that the Ministry of Education use a proposal that has been pending for 5 years.
“He reminded that the draft amendment to the Teacher Card Act, a civic initiative of ZNP, which ties teachers' salaries to the average wage in the economy, was submitted to the Sejm in 2021. The second reading was held in January 2024. Since April 2025, no committee meeting has taken place on this matter,” highlighted Sławomir Broniarz.
The proposal stipulated that a diploma teacher's salary should be at least 100% of the average wage, an appointed teacher 87%, and a novice teacher, i.e., an intern, at least 73%. It is worth noting that in May 2026 the average wage in Poland was 9,173.24 PLN gross, which is about 6,542 PLN net. This is far more than today. According to the Polish Teachers' Union, the salary of a diploma teacher currently is about 6.4 thousand PLN gross (about 4,695 PLN net), an appointed teacher 5.5 thousand PLN gross (about 4,084 PLN net), and for an intern teacher 5.3 thousand PLN gross (almost 3,948 PLN net).
In the event that the government's proposal for a 2.5‑3% raise comes into force, teacher salaries would increase by about 130‑160 PLN gross.
“The era of promises is over, there is a deadline, now it’s time for solutions, i.e., time for a teacher working on a single contract (because no teacher on a single contract exceeds the second tax threshold) to earn a dignified wage and to pay the taxes that should be paid in a civilized country,” said Urszula Woźniak, vice‑president of ZNP.
Either raises or a strike
The Polish Teachers' Union makes the case clear – raises or protest.
“If the procedure continues in this manner, it is clear that the union will be forced to take radical forms of protest. We will discuss these radical forms on Tuesday at the ZNP Executive Board meeting,” announced Sławomir Broniarz, president of ZNP.
The Ministry of Education, which assures that negotiations on the salary increase are underway, will not have much time.
“The end of the school year is not only a summer break but also the last bell to save the teaching profession. Teachers simply do not have the strength anymore. The latest ZNP study shows how deep this exhaustion goes,” wrote Dr. Bartosz Rydliński, president of ZNP at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, on social media.
And this, as ZNP representatives point out, is causing fewer people to want to work as teachers. They add that if this continues, soon there may be no one in Poland to teach future generations of Poles.
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