Thousands of teachers from across Poland have marched in Warsaw, demanding the country's new government raise wages in elementary and secondary education.
The protestors demanded a meeting with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Organisers said 12,000 teachers took part in the demonstration, the largest since Mr Tusk took office in November after his Civic Platform defeated the conservative-nationalist government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski in a snap election.
Mr Tusk's party campaigned on promises of creating an 'economic miracle' in Poland that would benefit all, similar to the spectacular growth in fellow EU member Ireland.
The education ministry has proposed a 200-zloty (€55) wage hike, but the teachers' union wants 600 zlotys for junior staff and 11,000 zlotys for senior staff.
Teachers are among the worst paid public sector employees in Poland, with maximum gross salaries for senior teachers running under 2,000 zlotys per month. Salaries for public sector nurses and physicians are comparably low.
The new government has become the target of several groups of public sector employees. Health service staff have also staged protests demanding wage rises in recent weeks.
Coal miners from the southern Polish Silesian coal basin staged underground protests, while their wives lobbied for wage hikes in Warsaw yesterday.
