Schools without trips. Teachers: We want to be paid even for the time without lessons

On Tuesday, the Polish Teachers' Union appealed for a quick amendment to the Teacher's Charter regarding remuneration for overtime hours. He wants a return to the provision in force until 1992. According to it, teachers are entitled to remuneration for such hours even if the classes were not held through no fault of their own.

Teachers' trade unions after the entry on September 1 this year. entry into force of the amendment to the Teacher's Cards indicates a problem that occurs when when the teacher is at school, he is ready to work according to his assigned overtime hours, but he does not have a classroombecause, for example, she is on a trip. They reported that teachers indicate that in such cases they do not receive remuneration for these hours.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday that he would ask the parliamentary club or coalition clubs to prepare a draft amendment to the Teacher's Charter, according to which teachers will receive remuneration for overtime hours even if they do not complete them.

On Wednesday, at a press conference, the president of the Polish Teachers' Union, Sławomir Broniarz, expressed his satisfaction with the Prime Minister's declaration.

– We hope that this pace of work and these solutions will not share the fate of the ZNP citizens' initiative, the initiative of which the Prime Minister also declared at the union's congress about the need to speed up work – he said.

Trade unionists admitted that their satisfactory solution will be to return to the provisions in force until 1992., which, as they pointed out, they proposed at the stage of consultation and reviewing the draft amendment.

Vice-president of the ZNP, Urszula Woźniak, explained that the idea was to restore the regulations in the version in force until July 1992. She maintained the right to remuneration for overtime hours also in the event of justified failure to attend classes. However, she informed that this comment was not taken into account.

At the same time, she emphasized that in the amended Teacher's Charter “the vast majority of provisions are favorable to teachers.”

In mid-October, the Ministry of Education issued a statement regarding overtime hours. ZNP requested a clear interpretation. The Ministry of National Education stated that the principle is that remuneration is due for work performed, i.e. for assigned and completed teaching, educational or care activities. At the same time, there are two exceptions in which the teacher retains the right to remuneration despite not completing these hours. The ministry noted that the amendment was “developed in cooperation with trade union organizations as part of the Team for Teachers' Professional Pragmatics and after social consultations.”

Broniarz denied that this was the case.

It is unacceptable for us to blame trade unions for failing to take any action or for complicity in these negative solutions. We do not accept shifting the blame onto trade unions, he emphasized.

He also pointed out that the website of the Government Legislation Center contains materials showing that the ZNP submitted comments and proposals to the consulted projects, but the ministry did not take them into account.

– If the Ministry of Education wanted to use these suggestions, We probably wouldn't be involved in such confusion, chaos and turmoil in the teacher community todayand – he assessed.

He stated that “the only institution responsible for the chaos, anxiety and anger of teachers related to unfavorable solutions regarding overtime hours and related remuneration is the Ministry of National Education.” He noted that the Ministry of National Education “in accordance with its constitutional powers is responsible for shaping the law.”

The National Education and Upbringing Section of NSZZ “Solidarność” also informed that the current concept of settling overtime hours is not the result of cooperation with the union.

PAP reported on Sunday that the Polish Teachers' Union received signals from schools that teachers or entire teaching staff were suspending class trips due to changes in the settlement of overtime hours.

According to the Labor Code, a teacher's working time is 40 hours a week, which includes mandatory teaching hours (so-called blackboard hours), which vary depending on the type of activities performed. An overtime hour is allocated to a teacher in excess of the weekly mandatory number of teaching, educational or caring hours, and cannot be allocated above the norm. (PAP)

pak/ dsr/ joz/