- On Tuesday at 11:00 AM, a demonstration is organized at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Education. We cordially invite all teachers and non-teaching staff to this demonstration. In the afternoon, there will be a meeting of the Social Dialogue Council, which will discuss the formula for a roundtable discussion - stated Sławomir Broniarz during a press conference. He emphasized that the presidium of the main board of ZNP (National Teachers' Union) will discuss various scenarios. At 12:00 PM, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will visit the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Otwock. A statement for the media is planned for 12:30 PM. At 1:00 PM, at the Presidential Palace, President Andrzej Duda will meet with the players of the National Esports Team in the game FIFA. This meeting is a continuation of actions taken on April 5, 2019. At 5:00 PM in Sosnowiec, a meeting of the Silesian Regional Council of Civic Platform will take place with the participation of its chairman, Grzegorz Schetyna. During the proceedings, PO (Civic Platform) candidates for the European Parliament elections will be presented. Also at 5:00 PM - as we wrote on 300POLITYKA - President Andrzej Duda will sign the act on a one-time cash benefit for pensioners and disability pensioners in 2019, more commonly referred to as "Emerytura Plus" (Pension Plus).

"There will probably be schools and kindergartens where the strike will be suspended by the decision of the strike committees, but looking at the atmosphere, at what is happening in schools, at these tensions, at some politicians' statements in recent days, then from my point of view and looking at what is happening, I would be rather skeptical regarding the possibility of suspending the strike today" - stated Sławomir Broniarz in a conversation with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

– The information from Friday indicated that 2,100 [schools suspended their protest and returned to work] out of over 15,000 schools that were striking. So, in this phase of the strike, we still have around 13,000 institutions, and most importantly, the determination is growing among those who say: we are the last link in this struggle, I'm talking about high schools – stated Sławomir Broniarz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- My recommendation is secondary to the emotions that are unfolding. I would be in favor of maintaining the strike action. In the form that it is [now] - stated Sławomir Broniarz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- On the other extreme, we have the suspension of strike action, but we are definitely not considering ending the strike as such. There are also voices suggesting we could move to a rotational strike; some facilities already operated under such a system last week. These three proposals are on the table today – stated Sławomir Broniarz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

"I don't know what the formula for the round table is. I know that allegedly all participants of this round table are supposed to log in," stated Sławomir Broniarz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego". He added:

"If the Prime Minister encourages everyone to log in to this round table, for everyone to participate, hundreds or perhaps thousands, I know that hundreds of people from ZNP alone are heading to the teachers' round table, so this formula is completely unknown to us. Today, the Social Dialogue Council will speak on this matter."

- "The version from 2008 is closest to me, when President Lech Kaczyński, at the request of ZNP, organized a round table at his residence. A dozen or so people participated then," added the ZNP president. - "For me, the key issue will be ZNP's stance, but if I, as Sławomir Broniarz, were asked if I would go to the round table, in this formula, it seems there won't be a climate for calm, factual discussion. It will be more of a political rally than a calm conversation about education," he emphasized.

"We are negotiating. Groups have been established to handle the details. We are not discussing 'if,' but 'how and when.' These talks are very advanced. My next visit to the United States will be a significant step forward regarding the arrangements" - said Minister Mariusz Błaszczak on Radio Jedynka.

- I don't like this tradition. My position is similar to that of the Forum of Polish Jews, which wrote that this relic should be thrown in the trash, and I agree with that. At the same time, we shouldn't make an international affair out of it. And I agree with that too - stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet. He added:

"It can be [that it is propaganda of violence]. This matter needs to be investigated calmly. Please remember that it can be used to attack Poland, and none of us wants that. Poland, specifically when it comes to these matters, has little to reproach itself for, in a historical context, emphasizing that I do not like this event."

- I don't burn any effigies, and I don't wish for anyone to do so. On the other hand, I have a duty to defend Poland's interests, and if I am ever responsible for this, I will not agree to such compensation [for Jewish organizations]. Because if anyone deserves it, it is the Polish state, as the Polish state and Poles behaved exceptionally decently during World War II compared to other nations - emphasized the Deputy Minister of Justice.

- Of course, Solidarna Polska is closest to me [despite being non-partisan]. I am still a member of the United Right camp. There are many non-partisan individuals in the PiS club, which is why I don't hide my sympathies. I am a member of the United Right, and even though it's not often heard on some commercial stations, our formation and the leadership of the Ministry of Justice have led to crime falling every year, as in hardly any other EU country, and this is our hard work. Thanks to this, there are higher taxes [revenues], from which we can finance various things, thanks to our effective fight against organized crime - stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- Of course I did [take leave during the campaign]. Even though I'm not obligated to, but I could have used my leave to go to the tropics, like some modern left-wing leaders, we've seen photos of them from countries I can't even name. For example, Robert Biedroń. However, I'm dedicating my leave, which I could have used for such a trip, to meeting Poles and having open discussions. For the next few days, I will be in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. There's information on my Facebook. Anyone who wants to, including those who disagree [with me], is welcome - stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- EP elections are such that they are not defined by a single region. Because it's a large region, a large constituency, which consists of two voivodeships. Simply put, in EP elections, we choose Poland's representatives. I have said many times that today the EP is a battleground for justice, and I would like to fight for who will better fight for our arguments in the justice system, especially if not a member of the leadership of the Ministry of Justice, and at least when it comes to defending our arguments – stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet. As he emphasized, he wants to fight for Poland to have the right to reform its justice system, which will also benefit the residents of Małopolska and the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.

- "Quite good [at English]. It's one that needs more work, but I think it's good" - stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- I stand in solidarity with the strike. Although I believe that the role of politicians should end somewhere here. We should give them [teachers] a chance to decide what happens next with the strike. We will probably find out [what happens next with the strike] today. I suggest those in power finally start treating female teachers, teachers, and parents seriously - stated Barbara Nowacka in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on Polsat News' "Polityczne Graffiti".

- The proposal [from the government] is still the same. That they will reduce their salaries by increasing their workload. So that they sign the agreement that a PiS councilor signed, which resulted in people leaving the teachers' "Solidarity" union. These are not serious proposals, they are simply humiliating and degrading. Today the government has taken parents, teachers, children, and very often employers hostage - she added.

"There are numerous problems in Polish education. It's impossible to fix them in one term of the Sejm's functioning" - said the President's spokesperson, Minister Błażej Spychalski, in an interview with Jan Wróbel on Radio TOK FM's Morning Show. "The 8+4 system worked well, including in terms of university entrance exams. A system where someone has to retake their matriculation exam to get more points, to have a chance for better studies, to achieve their dreams… University entrance exams were a good solution".

“If pay raises for teachers had been granted successively each year, we wouldn't have a teachers' strike today. This is always a matter of discussion and debate. If salaries in the private sector are growing very dynamically, then by their nature, they will never grow as quickly in the public sector” - said the President's spokesperson, Minister Błażej Spychalski, in an interview with Jan Wróbel on Poranek Radia TOK FM.

“This government, by introducing the system of annual pay raises, because it was indeed introduced, sought to address this problem and did address this problem. The fact that teachers' salaries are too low is a fact. This requires understanding and broad dialogue regarding Polish education, and a round table is a good solution for this” - he added.

- Nobody is forcing teachers to do what they are doing to parents and children today. I want to say that striking is permissible, it's everyone's right, but to do it at a time when Matura exams are imminent and I want to say that in the last week, children or young people cannot revise material, which will lead to worse scores on their Matura exams. Who will take responsibility for this? Striking is possible, but not necessarily at this time. I believe this is a truly bad course of action, especially since I recall that union leaders not too long ago stood on stage with Mateusz K. from KOD and opposition leaders. Therefore, if there are political intentions, one must ask whether this strike is truly objective, or if the union leaders are simply deliberately inflaming emotions, thereby preventing the problem from being solved – stated Patryk Jaki in an interview with Jacek Prusinowski on Radio Plus.

Indeed, analyses are underway at the Ministry of Justice, and it depends on the very construction whether we will need to touch upon the matter of the fundamental law or not. It might also be the case, but we will see. Analyses are currently ongoing. However, the idea itself [of lay judges] is supported by us. That is, the idea of judges being elected in general elections – stated Patryk Jaki in a conversation with Jacek Prusinowski on Radio Plus. - A politician has one advantage. Politics, if you don't like Jaki, you can change him once every four years. A judge, however, cannot be changed, yet they wield greater power than politicians. Therefore, I believe that where there is public power and where there are people deciding on the future of other Poles, they should be elected as often as possible – added the Deputy Minister of Justice.

We are not an exception. Almost everyone makes mistakes. Including the professionals – political scientists, sociologists – whom we see in the media. They, too, describe politicians like an open book. They know what they think, what they want, what they will do. All situations are clear to them, all questions have an answer. They scrutinize politics like a teacher grading a student's notebook, correcting its errors with confident strokes of a pen. They know what the government should do to survive, and what the opposition should do to overthrow the government. It is from them that we learned about all the things that were supposed to happen and never did. Or things that were not supposed to happen, but did anyway. They assured us that Kaczyński would not return to power, that Brexit would not happen, and that Trump would lose the election. When PiS was born, they gave it a few months to live; when Platforma was formed, they gave it a year - writes Robert Krasowski in his latest book "O demokracji w Polsce" (On Democracy in Poland), which will be released in bookstores on Wednesday by Czerwone i czarne publishing house. 300POLITYKA publishes the first fragment. ***** Finally, there is the last group of false perceptions about politics. These do not originate from politicians, ideologies, media, or citizens. But from ourselves. From each of us, regardless of who we are or what we think. The abundance of political information, characteristic of our current era, has engendered in us a sense of ease in understanding politics. A boastful faith in our own cognitive abilities. The ability to observe power daily, often live, has built the illusion that politicians can hide nothing from us. That an attentive recipient of widely available information is capable of seeing through them completely. However, nothing could be further from the truth. An inhabitant of today's era knows the Prime Minister's plans to a similar extent as a resident of Rome knew Julius Caesar's plans. That is, they know them not at all. We are interested in politics in the strict sense now, which is the struggle for power. Let's take a simple situation. The Prime Minister made an important decision. We immediately begin to interpret it. From a few suspicions, we build a strong thesis. We say: the Prime Minister did A because he aims for B. Here, B represents some specific plan – the desire to shorten the term, get rid of a party rival, reconstruct the government. A plan that the Prime Minister has not uttered a single word about. And yet, we attribute it to him. We do not know the Prime Minister, we have never spoken with him, yet we know his intentions. From a few publicly spoken sentences, we reconstruct his secret plans. Interestingly, we know that politicians manipulate, that they de-inform, that they deceive opponents, the media, and society. We know that they skillfully hide their thoughts, that they are an enigma even to their closest advisors. But knowing all this, we still say that we know the Prime Minister's actual plans. That politics is transparent to us. Not only do we know what a politician does, but we also know what they could do better. We know the mistakes the Prime Minister makes, we know the mistakes the opposition leader makes. When Tusk turns governing into passivity, we all know he is making a mistake. That he needs to do something, even if not for Poland, then for himself. Because a lazy government cannot sustain itself. We even know what the Prime Minister should do, where to start with decisions. When Kaczyński resorts to radicalism – from fighting the system to Smolenk hysteria – we know very well that it is a mistake. That it will discredit him. That he needs to move towards the center. However, when Tusk continues to do his thing, and yet breaks records for the length of his rule, when Kaczyński wins power time and again, we do not feel a sense of defeat. We still know better than them how they should conduct politics. We criticize their tactical, personal, and programmatic errors. We are so sure of our own rightness that we can argue about it. We are surprised why others do not see the obvious. That Kaczyński must do A and B, and withdraw from C. We are surprised why Kaczyński himself does not see this. But we are not surprised where we know all this from. We never reflect on our sense of certainty. We do not revisit what we thought a week ago, a year ago, ten years ago. And what from those diagnoses turned out to be true. Yet we feared what did not turn out to be terrible. We anticipated what did not happen. We voted for politicians whom we ourselves eventually deemed to be disastrous. We value those for whom we never wanted to vote. Many times we believed that elections would change everything, they rarely changed anything. Before every election, we knew who would win. But someone else almost always won. Politicians to whom we predicted great careers fell out of politics, while those whom we dismissed, climbed to the top. Our sense of understanding politics was as strong as it was baseless. Its inverse was a series of mistakes. We are not an exception. Almost everyone makes mistakes. Including the professionals – political scientists, sociologists – whom we see in the media. They, too, describe politicians like an open book. They know what they think, what they want, what they will do. All situations are clear to them, all questions have an answer. They scrutinize politics like a teacher grading a student's notebook, correcting its errors with confident strokes of a pen. They know what the government should do to survive, and what the opposition should do to overthrow the government. It is from them that we learned about all the things that were supposed to happen and never did. Or things that were not supposed to happen, but did anyway. They assured us that Kaczyński would not return to power, that Brexit would not happen, and that Trump would lose the election. When PiS was born, they gave it a few months to live; when Platforma was formed, they gave it a year. Errors in describing politics are avoided by a very narrow and specific group. They are a species the public knows little about because they rarely appear in popular media. They answer questions with: "I don't know," "maybe," "there are many possibilities." They answer not because they know less about politics, but because they know more. These are some political journalists, investigative journalists, and a handful of people working behind the scenes of politics – advisors, spin doctors, lobbyists. They have direct access to politicians, know their backstage behavior, and cooperate closely with them. They look at them with a cool eye because their income, reputation, and success depend on an accurate assessment of politics. They represent a group with greater knowledge. They have direct access to facts. Not to their public substitutes, i.e., information, but to the facts themselves. They see them with their own eyes, hear them with their own ears, learn them without intermediaries. This has taught them to abandon certainty. They understood that common knowledge is worth little. That they only know what they have verified themselves. And they can verify little. They can learn the content of a few meetings in the Prime Minister's office. The backstage of a few decisions, a few intrigues. One person cannot acquire greater knowledge. Having a lot of hard data, they simultaneously know how much they lack to get the full picture. To constantly track the course of the whole. In political chess, they can see through one or two pieces, one or two pawns. But that is not enough to encompass the entire chessboard. Their skepticism is not programmatic, but technical. They consider politics to be knowable. The problem is gathering the complete set of facts. The critical mass that forms knowledge. Politics moves too quickly and has too many players to track it constantly. Almost every event is knowable, but knowing each one takes time. Let's take any example. A knowledge seeker learns that Kaczyński wants to get rid of a very important minister. The information is confirmed by several people from Kaczyński's inner circle. But this is not proof. Perhaps Kaczyński is only testing this scenario. He wants to see how the minister, his supporters, and the coalition partner will react. But not only that. The knowledge seeker themselves can be a potential tool for disseminating information. They don't know if they themselves are not being manipulated. So, they search further. They check with the minister's circle. They learn that rumors of resignation have already reached him. He reacted firmly. He threatens that he will then form his own party. Are these real plans? Or is he just sounding out his base? Or perhaps he wants news of his defiant intentions to reach Kaczyński and change his decision? The truth seeker has done everything that is practically possible. But they still have no certainty. Even when the resignation becomes a fact, questions remain. Is this a permanent removal? Or a test of loyalty before a big promotion? Interestingly, both can be true. A decision intended as political death can turn into a decision for a great comeback. Politicians do not think in either-or terms. They like situations from which they can emerge in various ways. The knowledge seeker still has no certainty about the goal of Kaczyński's game. They will reconstruct the truth only after years, when they learn more facts. Perhaps once again they will have to reach out to the participants of the events. But even then, they will not be sure if they have learned the full truth. When politics solidifies into history, all events will be reconstructed, but the political plan may never be found. This is how understanding events in the realm of power struggles looks – the struggles between the opposition and the government, cabinet reshuffles, battles for party leadership, schisms, political wars between the prime minister and the president. These are complicated games that are not transparent on a real-time basis. And even after years, they leave a margin of uncertainty. Of course, the higher the stakes, the stronger the players, the more complicated the picture becomes. And when it happens that two cunning players, like Kaczyński and Tusk, stand opposite each other, nothing is clear. Every piece of knowledge gained is fragmented, every determination can be challenged by subsequent events. Photo: Czerwone i czarne

In the last few days, we learned that a unit was formed within the CBA whose task was to hunt down former heads of the CBA and the former head of the ABW. Here is the CBA, which should be focused on hunting down those in power, corruption, and putting people in prison when they commit crimes; it has transformed from an anti-corruption service into a political police force. A political police force tasked with finding dirt on predecessors. If the CBA, as a state service, instead of being interested in crime in the country, in tracking down crime, is engaged in hunting down political predecessors, we can clearly state that this is a perversion of this service, that the CBA has become another tool for political struggle in Poland. Today, we state very clearly: we demand the resignation of the head of the CBA, Ernest Bejda – stated Cezary Tomczyk at a press briefing in the Sejm. Today, this issue returns and will not be forgotten. Today, we demand the resignation of Minister Bejda, and that PiS politicians take responsibility for the mess they have made in Polish special services, for the politicization of special services, for using Polish special services to fight political opponents. This is a very, very serious matter. Every dictatorship is always built on special services. It is increasingly evident that the PiS state is also building itself on special services. That was the purpose of this major takeover of special services, which was carried out at the beginning of this term – said Marcin Kierwiński.

The fact that so many of us have come today, that we are protesting in such large numbers, is extremely important to us. Because it shows that teachers don't want politics. They want a good school. That's what we care about. We want to have the material and organizational conditions for dignified functioning as teachers and non-teaching staff. We will not let ourselves be told that this is being done at someone's behest, on assignment, or in agreement with this or that party activist. This is our teachers' protest, our protest – stated Sławomir Broniarz during the demonstration in front of the Ministry of National Education headquarters.

- Today we are not ending anything. We are not ending anything. Today we are still in the phase of striking for the dignity of the teaching profession, for the dignity of education workers. We are aware of the emotions this protest, this strike, is evoking. We are very grateful to parents, local governments, and all those who support us, cooperate with us, understand the situation teachers are in, and yet want to express their words of support, acceptance, and encouragement to us - stated Sławomir Broniarz during the demonstration in front of the Ministry of National Education (MEN) headquarters.

- We cannot protest on matters other than employee affairs, work, and wages. This is also the context of our protest. But for many months, we have been saying that Polish schools must change, and we must focus on teachers as those who, possessing qualifications, ambitions, and their own professional honor, want only one thing: a decent salary - stated Sławomir Broniarz during the demonstration in front of the Ministry of National Education headquarters.

- We want to say that besides money, besides wages, we care about a good, autonomous school. With a high professional position for teachers and school principals, so that these people, aware of the responsibility that rests upon them, are not tied down by various ministerial regulations, so they do not function in the shackles of laws and regulations that strip them of their autonomy, forcing them to be mere passive cogs in the government's administrative machine. We want to speak with our own voice and fight for the autonomous professional position of teachers, school principals, and education staff. Because the school needs it - added the President of ZNP.

- It was we who lowered our demand from PLN 1000 to proposing a 30% salary increase, which the government side considers to have no room for negotiation. So we are waiting for the government's position, on how far the government is willing to go in this matter. We are convinced that this demand for a 30% salary increase is an uncrossable postulate. We have nowhere else to retreat, because this demand is also a condition for any negotiations with this and future governments, as it is the essence of our employee protest, and we will not back down from it - stated Sławomir Broniarz during the demonstration in front of the Ministry of National Education headquarters.

- We expect full respect for union members, but also for all teachers, regardless of their affiliation, so that we are not labeled as politicians, that it is not indicated that we are acting on someone's demand. Because such a narrative, such views and such a thesis were propagated by the government side - stated Sławomir Broniarz during a demonstration in front of the Ministry of National Education building.

https://twitter.com/MorawieckiM/status/1120623755649327105

- There will definitely be a new Polish commissioner. No more of the 'cosmonaut' [Elżbieta Bieńkowska], who was launched into space five years ago and forgot she's Polish and votes against Poland. This is a global curiosity. The one responsible for climate and idiots who earn 6,000 złoty in Poland. And who, of course, absolutely does not want to cooperate with the Polish government. When I was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I invited Ms. Commissioner to Poland, to Warsaw. She replied that she only visits Poland for holidays in Katowice. However, she did not want to cooperate with the Polish government. So, we will definitely have a commissioner appointed by the current Polish government, who will certainly cooperate with the Polish government. They will definitely not vote against Poland. However, of course, we cannot vouch for the entire Commission - stated Witold Waszczykowski on PR24.

- I am somewhat surprised by the consistent silence of the First Lady. She is even more silent than President Duda, who is also silent on this matter. She is twice as loud in her silence, and it's a bit surprising because the teaching community is her natural environment. If the situation is ripe for some kind of agreement, the First Lady always has a chance to play a positive role - stated Bronisław Komorowski in an interview with Piotr Maślak on Gazeta.pl.

- Donald Tusk's speeches are always very good. They are always very precise and very accurately address our situation. I'm counting on Donald Tusk to somehow mobilize people and show a way out of the situation we are in - stated Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska in an interview with Marek Kacprzak on WP's "Tłit" program.

The former Minister of Finance in the Civic Platform-Polish People's Party government announces his candidacy in the European Parliament elections. Jacek Rostowski – as he informed on Twitter – is running from London in second place on the list of the pro-European and anti-Brexit party Change UK.

https://twitter.com/janrostowski/status/1120629998279430144

“We are asking the people who are in the photos [with Ludmiła Kozłowska - Róża Thun, Michał Boni, Frans Timmermans], who met and expressed support for Ms. Kozłowska, whether they were aware of the activities of the Open Dialogue Foundation, whether they knew the facts that the very prestigious, influential, and considered reliable British newspaper The Times is writing about? Will they speak out after this publication? None of these individuals have spoken. We are asking if they will respond in some way, because for now, we are hearing a very loud silence that is becoming perplexing, as if these people suddenly do not want to be associated with Kozłowska, and they should explain themselves regarding these photos and connections,” said PiS MEP Ryszard Czarnecki at a press conference.

PiS spokesperson Beata Mazurek distances herself from Krystyna Pawłowicz's tweets.

https://twitter.com/beatamk/status/1120646509891129345

We want an honest, substantive discussion about Polish education. In light of the information reaching us since morning about the government's planned formula for a so-called “Round Table,” we are posing questions to Prime Minister Morawiecki regarding the negotiation process – Paweł Pudłowski wrote on Twitter. https://twitter.com/PUDLOWSKI/status/1120640338765451264

"Decoumunization 30 years after the fall of communism is simply a bad joke. The only connection over 90% of Polish judges have with the communist era is that they were born, passed their high school finals, or graduated during communism. What's strange about all this is that in his zeal to fight communism, Prime Minister Morawiecki fails to see that PiS's attacks on the independent judiciary are being carried out by the hands of communist prosecutors. The only outcome of Prime Minister Morawiecki's trip to the United States was a statement insulting Polish judges. The words used by the Prime Minister, comparing current judges to collaborators who served the Vichy regime, are nothing but slander against the institutions of his own country," said Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz from PO-KO at a press conference in the Sejm. "Insulting Polish judges is the only result of the Prime Minister's visit to the United States. The Prime Minister absolutely did not meet with any important politicians."

– These assessments are slightly exaggerated, overstated. I would like to clarify that the submitted draft amendment to the Supreme Court Act is undergoing a standard, multi-stage review process. The Marshal of the Sejm expects information on this matter, which is being prepared by the legal services of the Chancellery of the Sejm. It should be noted that the Rules of the Sejm provide for a number of solutions allowing for a comprehensive assessment of incoming legislative proposals – stated the director of the Sejm Information Centre, Andrzej Grzegrzółka, in an interview with 300POLITYKĄ, referring to Marek Ast's statement to PAP that the Marshal of the Sejm has doubts about the constitutionality of the provision of the draft amendment to the Supreme Court Act authored by PiS, concerning the principles of appointing the First President of the Supreme Court by the President.

The last day of the April Sejm session will take place on Thursday. In practice, this means that either MPs will deal with the PiS-authored project this week, or only after the May Day holidays.

I wanted to inform you that given the very unknown, unclear, and completely unexplained format regarding the roundtable discussions proposed by Prime Minister Morawiecki at the National Stadium, the leadership of ZNP will not participate in these discussions. This is because the format that the union, together with the President, implemented in 2008 is much closer to us. Today, we will likely have a kind of public hearing where everyone will be allocated minutes to speak on fundamental issues. Neither the seriousness of the debate nor the subject matter of this meeting deserves teachers to speak on issues concerning such important areas as the teaching profession, the position of students in school, educational law, and parents in schools in such a minute-based sequence, or perhaps someone will come up with the idea of limiting speaking time to 30 seconds, as we have seen such examples. To summarize: we expect it to be a serious, expert debate, however, organized under the auspices of the President within the framework of the RDS, and ZNP will participate in that format. - stated Sławomir Broniarz in a conversation with journalists. An identical decision was made by both the Forum of Trade Unions (FZZ) and the Independent Trade Union "Solidarity" Education, which held its extraordinary meeting today here at the "Dialog" Social Partnership Centre. We emphasize that to this day we do not know what the format of these talks will be, what the topics will be, who will be allowed to speak and on what basis, or whether there will be any criteria for representativeness. All of this leads us to doubt the purity of the government's intentions, and based on the experiences of negotiations we have been conducting with the government side since March 25th, unfortunately, until we have a very detailed written breakdown, rules, and all these elements, we will not participate in such a format. - informed Sławomir Wittkowicz.

"Indeed, some representative employers' organizations and trade unions – FZZ and ZNP – do not wish to join the debate proposed by the Prime Minister on the situation and state of Polish education and systemic solutions. They adopted this stance at the beginning of the Social Dialogue Council meeting, although it is not the official position of the RDS, as not all employers' organizations and not all trade unions signed this position. I lament and deeply regret that they are foregoing the opportunity to conduct this discussion and participate in this debate. To me, this is somewhat of a closed attitude. One cannot prematurely conclude that something has failed or that the intentions were bad. I always prefer to present an open attitude" – stated Minister Elżbieta Rafalska at a briefing.

'There will be no deductions from the money that will be paid out to you, it will not be included in the income from which benefits are later determined. This is extra money that has the character of current support and genuine respect for retirees and pensioners, as an important part of our society' - said President Andrzej Duda during the signing of the act.

- The European Coalition is an agreement based on trust and the conviction that together we can achieve more, that Polish activity, Polish activities in the European Parliament must be shared in order to be effective. There are no better people than those here with us, MEPs from previous terms. These are people who provide not only a guarantee of great commitment, hard work, and immense sacrifice, but above all, effectiveness. That is why I am pleased that all six, i.e. 60% of the European Coalition's list, are the best of the best representatives of Civic Platform. This is a dream team, this list, these names. I am convinced that their work, both in the campaign and later in the EP itself during the next 5-year term, is worth fighting for. It will be an important term, because the last 4 years show that if we are not on the front lines, if we are not effective, if we do not build friendships, alliances, if we do not seek partners and those who can support Poland's cause, then we lose, we end up on the margins of the most important issues, and that is how it is today, for the last 3.5 years. I can only say that we will do everything, I am convinced that this will not be the case anymore. Poland will return to the main table, Poland will once again have a main, most important, effective voice in the debate on the future of the EU. I am pleased that we will discuss this today, that this region, this voivodeship, will have such representatives in the EP - stated Grzegorz Schetyna at a briefing in Sosnowiec.

We have been talking about this for weeks, we repeat it, Prime Minister Buzek spoke beautifully about it. We stand with the teachers, with Polish schools, with parents. This is a difficult time, a time of testing. I appealed to President Kaczyński, to Prime Minister Morawiecki, to make a decision to end this strike. Unfortunately, there is no openness from the government, no idea for dialogue, no such respectful, honest treatment of Polish schools, and it seems to me that this is a fatal matter in the long run. On Friday before the holidays, we had a European Coalition conference. We all spoke very harmoniously and firmly and appealed: this strike must end, Mr. President Kaczyński. Decisions are needed. This is a test for this government. If they are unable to cope with these issues, with this protest, then they should resign. It would be better to have elections if they have no idea how to solve such a serious problem. You can make promises, you can be untruthful in politics, but it always brings verification during the election campaign, and then in the elections. I am convinced that both on May 26th in the European elections, and in October in the elections to the Sejm and Senate, Poles will remember what went wrong in this conflict, who caused it, and who bears political responsibility for this conflict in Polish schools – stated Grzegorz Schetyna at a briefing in Sosnowiec.

„Many of my excellent colleagues, both male and female, didn't find a place. I remind you that these are lists of a very broad coalition, and truly many excellent politicians, excellent MPs, are not on these lists” – said Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska of Civic Platform (PO), Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, in an interview with Marcin Zaborski on RMF FM. – „But I like it very much [Rostowski's candidacy from London], and it shows that anything is possible in Europe, and I hope that the Prime Minister's campaign will be interesting, and I count on him potentially winning a mandate.”

“Today, today’s demonstrations, today’s talks, which have not moved a single step towards resolving issues, do not inspire hope. I will not answer this question today because I still know too little about the subject. From my perspective, this roundtable is absolutely pointless at this moment. Because if one wants to reform education, and after all, over the last three years, PiS has reformed education very thoroughly, which is why we are concerned about September 1st, and then a roundtable was not needed. Neither for diagnosing the problems, nor for seeking broader agreement. Now, in a situation where teachers have demanded their dignity and better salaries, instead of sitting down and talking with them, a roundtable is being proposed” - said Deputy Sejm Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska from Civic Platform (PO) in an interview with Marcin Zaborski on RMF FM.

“

It’s difficult for us to go and talk to the government ourselves about how to save education after Mrs. Zalewska’s reform. For this, we need teachers. Without teachers, without parents – we won't achieve anything. If teachers aren't present, opposition MPs are also unnecessary,” said Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska from Civic Platform (PO) in an interview with Marcin Zaborski on RMF FM.

If we are talking about maturity, then paradoxically, it is indeed the case that they [the teachers] have passed the maturity exam, while the government has not. Subsequent days bring a lack of talks between the government and the ZNP [Polish Teachers' Union]. There is no visible will from the government to resolve this conflict, and the truth is that the government is responsible for the strike in Poland, the government is responsible for the chaos in Poland. Prime Minister Morawiecki has not met with teachers since December – stated Cezary Tomczyk in an interview with Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach" (Facts After Facts).

- Today we are extending an offer on behalf of the future Polish government and we are saying very clearly. Funds for teacher pay rises will be found. And never again will any professional group be subjected to such pressure, such contempt as teachers are at this moment - stated Cezary Tomczyk in an interview with Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

– I'm not going. I haven't seen an invitation. I can say that we have done absolutely everything to calm the situation, to conduct exams. We also appealed to the teachers, to, in this difficult situation, where we understand their demands, where we are with them, to bring about classification – said Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program „Wydarzenia i Opinie” on Polsat News.

- We also appealed to the teachers. We understand you, we understand your strike, but let's do everything together to ensure these exams take place, so that the grading can be completed. If we can help with this, we will help. Today, we see, in a sense, the teachers' response that students will be graded - said Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program "Wydarzenia i Opinie" on Polsat News.

- We declared as the presidents of the largest cities in the Union of Metropolises that this money will stay in schools. It will be transferred to the schools and the principals will spend this money by allocating bonuses to teachers - said Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program "Wydarzenia i Opinie" Polsat News.

- The appeal is unambiguous. It is a request to our colleagues, to teachers, to principals, that classification should take place - said Krzysztof Baszczyński in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program "Wydarzenia i Opinie" (Events and Opinions) on Polsat News.

"The Prime Minister presented a concept, a proposal, invited various partners, including those partners who are in the Social Dialogue Council. Today we heard a 'no', but I believe they will reconsider this decision and that there is a chance they will come [to the education round table talks]. But even if they were to remain in their firm stance, their closed stance, the debate will begin on Friday at the National Stadium anyway. Assuming in advance that the debate will be a farce, that it will have a stadium-like character, is an absolute misunderstanding" - said Minister Elżbieta Rafalska in an interview with Edyta Lewandowska on "Gość Wiadomości" on TVP Info.

- It's wrong to say the strike is 'fizzling out'. The situation varies across different regions of the country. The determination of my colleagues in some schools is immense - said Krzysztof Baszczyński in a conversation with Bogdan Rymanowski on the Polsat News program "Wydarzenia i Opinie".

- This kind of intermingling of political and economic power is characteristic of states riddled with mafia influences. This is a mafia. This is the classic definition of a mafia. We are dealing with classic mafia behavior. It is demoralizing and unacceptable from a state perspective - said Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz in response to Monika Olejnik's question about the overturning by the Social Appeal Court of the Mayor of Warsaw's decision regarding the non-issuance of development conditions for the Srebrna company.

- I support this protest and I support this strike, because I believe the government bears responsibility for its irresponsible actions in other areas, while simultaneously disregarding those "eggheads" who are not PiS voters. However, students should not suffer from this, and they should be allowed to take their matriculation exams. Teachers must contend with three opponents: one is the government, the second is public television, and the third is potentially a negatively disposed majority of public opinion. Initially, the strike enjoyed public support, but this began to shift against the teachers, they should take this into account - said Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz in Kropka nad I.

- If the Prime Minister had said that three months ago, when the budget was being passed, I would have taken it seriously. As a former Prime Minister, I know the limits of budget flexibility. But then, a few weeks ago, at a PiS rally, Mr. Jarosław Kaczyński played the role of Santa Claus and distributed over 40 billion zlotys that were not in the budget. If 40 billion zlotys can be found for Kaczyński to realize his promises, in connection with the elections and his difficult situation with the Srebrna company, then why can't it be found for teachers? That was the spark for various social groups - Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz said on Kropka nad I.

-- 300POLITYKA LIVEBLOG: Cimoszewicz on the 13th Pension and 500+: "We managed to find 40 billion for Kaczyński." Regarding PiS: "This kind of intermingling of political and economic power is characteristic of states riddled with mafia influences." Baszczyński on the Strike Not Fizzling Out Trzaskowski on Rostowski's Candidacy for the European Parliament from the London List: "I'm a bit surprised. I think they used to say Oleksy was needed everywhere. I see it's similar with Rostowski. I'm speaking with a grain of salt, of course." https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/04/23/ -- DANIEL OBAJTEK ON TWITTER ABOUT ORLEN'S INVESTMENT IN ANWIL AND 100 JOBS: https://twitter.com/DanielObajtek/status/1131145179346407424?s=20 -- IT'S TIME FOR HYDROGEN -- ON WEDNESDAY AT 10:00 AM, A HYDROGEN CONFERENCE BY 300GOSPODARKA AND WARSAW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY with the participation of Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz and the CEOs of LOTOS and JSW. http://czasnawodor.300gospodarka.pl ***** POLSAT EVENTS -- AFTER THE EASTER BREAK, A HARD RETURN TO REALITY - THE NEVER-ENDING TEACHERS' PROTEST - announcement. -- WHILE THE GRAND DEMONSTRATION OF STRIKING TEACHERS WAS STILL UNDERWAY IN FRONT OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ZNP SEEMED DETERMINED - Agnieszka Milczarz. -- HOWEVER, IN THE AFTERNOON, AFTER THE MEETING AT THE DIALOGUE CENTER, THE SITUATION LOOKS QUITE DIFFERENT - Milczarz continues. -- THE NATIONWIDE INTER-SCHOOL STRIKE COMMITTEE, FORMED JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, HAS APPEALED TO SCHOOL HEADMASTERS TO CONVENE CLASSIFICATION BOARDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - Milczarz. -- THIS IS ALREADY THE 16TH DAY OF THE STRIKE, AND FOR OVER TWO WEEKS, THERE HAVE BEEN NO CLASSES IN SCHOOLS - Milczarz. -- STATEMENTS LIKE [PATRYK JAKI'S] CERTAINLY DO NOT HELP IN CALMING THE SITUATION - Milczarz continues. -- IT IS ALREADY KNOWN THAT THE TRADE UNIONISTS FROM ZNP AND FZZ WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE ROUND TABLE - Milczarz. -- THE PROSECUTOR IS SEEKING 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HER, WHILE THE DEFENSE HAS REQUESTED ACQUITTAL - FINAL ARGUMENTS IN THE AMBER GOLD TRIAL TODAY. ***** TVN FAKTY -- ZNP WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE ROUND TABLE. -- THIS CROWD IN FRONT OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION HADN'T EVEN GATHERED WHEN A MINISTER IN MORAWIECKI'S GOVERNMENT WAS ALREADY TALKING ABOUT A WEHRMACHT SALUTE - Maciej Knapik. -- MACIEJ KNAPIK ON "COMPARING TEACHERS TO HITLERITES." -- P. JAKI ON RADIO ZET. -- THE PRIME MINISTER DID NOT EVEN COMMENT - Knapik. -- THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THE MATURA STUDENTS CAN BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF? -- IN PRACTICE, TEACHERS HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE: ADMIT STUDENTS OR NOT - Arleta Zalewska. -- THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY A GIGANTIC CONCESSION BY THE TEACHERS TO THE GOVERNMENT - Zalewska. -- There is the presidential signature, and there will be the 13th pension. This is part of the famous 'five' and will be almost 900 zlotys, and it's coming soon, in May, just before the elections. It's not plus 900 every month, but plus this one-time payment. -- THE PRESIDENT WANTED TO GIVE THIS SIGNATURE GREATER WEIGHT THAN THE SIGNING OF OTHER LAWS - Krzysztof Skórzyński. -- FROM THIS SPEECH, RETIREES CAN BE SURE THAT THE PROMISED BY PiS WILL BE PAID OUT, 900 ZŁ NETT, ONCE IN MAY - Skórzyński. -- A ELECTORAL BENEFIT - B. Arłukowicz. -- PiS DID NOT SAY THIS OPENLY WHEN JK FIRST SPOKE ABOUT THE 13TH PENSION. IT IS WRITTEN IN BLACK AND WHITE THAT IT IS A ONE-OFF PAYMENT - Skórzyński. -- THE ENTIRE OPPOSITION WANTED TO ADD A PSL AMENDMENT ABOUT THE REPEATABILITY OF THE BENEFIT - Skórzyński. -- IT PAYS THEM MORE TO CREATE A SPECTACLE - R. Biedroń. -- TODAY, NO ONE IN THE SEJM WILL OPENLY CRITICIZE IT, BECAUSE FOR MOST RETIREES, EVERY GROSZ IS VALUABLE, BUT IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO REFUTE THE ARGUMENTS THAT THIS IS A POLITICAL GESTURE - Skórzyński. -- WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO MAKE THIS A PERMANENT BENEFIT - P. Jaki. ***** TVP WIADOMOŚCI -- ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR 10 MILLION PEOPLE. THE PRESIDENT HAS SIGNED THE LAW ON THE "JAREKOWE" [a colloquial term for the 13th pension, referencing Jarosław Kaczyński], OR THE 13TH PENSION - announcement. -- ZNP WILL NOT INTERRUPT ITS STRIKE ACTION. TRADE UNIONISTS WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE ROUND TABLE PROPOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT - announcement. -- THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SUBSTANTIVE AND FACTUAL DISCUSSION AT THE NATIONAL STADIUM. TRADE UNIONISTS FROM ZNP AND FZZ SAY "NO" TO SUCH A DEBATE - Marcin Szypszak. -- THEY DON'T LIKE THE FORMAT. THEY DON'T WANT PARENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TALKS - Szypszak. -- JAN GUZ WAS AN ACTIVE ACTIVIST OF PZPR [Polish United Workers' Party]. IN THE MID-70S, HE APPLIED FOR ADMISSION TO ORMO [Volunteer Reserve of the Citizens' Militia]. TODAY, HE IS AN OPPONENT OF THE UNITED RIGHT GOVERNMENT - Szypszak. -- THE TRADE UNIONISTS ARE SETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER NEW DEMANDS - Szypszak. -- THE CRYING OF CHILDREN AND THE APPEALS OF PARENTS REGARDING CLASSIFICATION BOARDS ARE SO FAR TO LITTLE AVAIL - Szypszak. -- THE FINAL REPORT OF THE AMBER GOLD INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE WILL BE SENT TO THE SEJM THIS MONTH - Maksymilian Maszenda. -- BONI, TIMMERMANS, AND THUN POSED FOR PHOTOS WITH LUDMILA KOZŁOWSKA - Konrad Wąż. -- OPEN DIALOGUE OPENLY OPPOSED THE POLISH GOVERNMENT. IT IS NOT EXCLUDED THAT PERSONS ASSOCIATED WITH KOZŁOWSKA TRIED TO INFLUENCE THE RESULT OF THE LOCAL ELECTIONS - Wąż. -- BARTOSZ KRAMEK EVEN DREW UP A PLAN FOR THE FORCEFUL OVERTHROW OF THE GOVERNMENT - Wąż. -- KRAMEK'S PLAN INVOLVED THE INVOLVEMENT OF ZNP. TODAY, ZNP IS ORGANIZING PROTESTS AND ATTACKING NOT ONLY THE POLISH GOVERNMENT BUT ALSO YOUNG POLES. THEY ARE DOING THIS A MONTH BEFORE THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS - Wąż. -- IN THE WEST, THE FIGURE OF KAWSKI IS ALMOST FORGOTTEN. EVENTS LIKE FRIDAY'S IN PRUCHNIK ARE GAINING MUCH WIDER RECOGNITION IN THE WORLD - Krzysztof Nowina-Konopka.