The Teacher’s Strike (2019) as a Form of Struggle for the Dignity and Prestige of the Promoters of Polish Education

Abstract

The article describes the struggles of Upper Silesian teachers in the pursuit of ensuring them the socio-economic stability on the example of the city of Bytom in the Silesian Voivodeship. The number of protesting educational institutions in this city was presented, and the approximate number of Bytom teachers taking part in the nationwide teachers’ strike was given. The general reasons of teachers’ dissatisfaction with the existing situation in the education system have been identified, having a direct impact on taking up the protest action. In addition, attention was also paid to the legality of the strike in schools, and in particular to sign the mediation protocol required in the collective dispute resolution procedure, and the notification in the National Labor Inspectorate. The Act on the settlement of collective disputes specifies exactly how to proceed, namely: the strike must be preceded by submitting demands to employers, negotiations and mediations. A necessary condition for undertaking a strike action is participation in the referendum of at least half of the employees, where most of them are in favor of the strike. The information was obtained on the basis of in-depth interviews with school principals and teachers on strike, as well as on the basis of statistical data provided by the Bytom City Hall. The work also presents the methods of ensuring the safety of Bytom students during the teachers’ protest action.