The protest in front of the Education Ministry comes on the 16th day of a strike that has closed most Polish schools. The teachers demand higher wages in a long-running dispute that is emerging as another fissure in a deeply divided society. The teachers’ strike has emerged as the latest battlefront in a country riven between conservatives and liberals. The dispute pits teachers and their supporters against a populist government that is increasing social spending on families, pensioners and farmers but which says it cannot accommodate the teachers’ demand for a 30% raise. But the teachers’ union says teachers are already working an average of 47 hours per week and have rejected the government’s offer.

Source: thestar April 23, 2019 10:33 UTC