On Saturday, April 27th, at 6 a.m., the Polish Teachers’ Union (ZNP) is suspending the nationwide strike, suspending but not ending it 

— said Sławomir Broniarz, the chairman of the Polish National Union of Teachers, on Thursday.

Today, in the Parliament, we are facing an attempt to finally demolish the Polish education system. (…) On Saturday, April 27th, at 6 a.m., the Polish Teachers’ Union is suspending the national strike, suspending but not ending it

— said Broniarz.

From now on we are entering a new stage, which will be much more difficult but this stage will show a new face of our protest. We are halfway there, but I can state unequivocally that today, tomorrow and in the next few days we will certainly not sign the agreement that the government concluded with Solidarity

— he added.

Today we are suspending the strike, but the protest continues until the end of the strike. (…) We will not resign from our demands. We are ready for the September strike

— said Broniarz.

Most of the commentators believe, however, that this is a defeat of these trade unionists which are known for their very close relations with the current opposition; who would allow the political goals of people who are not in favour of the current government to overshadow the postulates related to wages and working conditions.

The leaders of ZNP have lost. They quickly allowed the strike to become political, which was one of the most important reasons for the defeat. They also allowed for toxic behaviour towards working teachers. The students were also treated too brutally, being threatened not to be able to take the exams. As a result, very deep divisions were created in the environment related to education, and public opinion did not support the protest, even though the opposition media called for it (which means vast majority in the Polish conditions)

— wrote a journalist Jacek Karnowski on our portal.

Tłum. K.J.