The streets of Siegen filled with around 700 protesters on July 7, chanting for better working conditions under the banner “Social Summer.” One day later, roughly 450 people demonstrated in Bielefeld, demanding the preservation of the eight-hour workday and secure pensions. The protests, organized by unions, mark the latest flashpoint in a tense standoff between Germany’s education workforce and the federal government’s reform agenda.
At the heart of the conflict lies a legal entitlement that takes effect on August 1, 2026: every first-grade child will then have a right to all-day care. The promise, however, clashes with a stark reality. An estimated 100,000 qualified professionals are missing nationwide. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, more than 3,000 primary school teaching posts remain unfilled. The Education and Science Union (GEW) in NRW is calling for binding quality standards and pointing to a municipal investment backlog of €186 billion, of which €55 billion is tied to school infrastructure. The federal government has allocated €3.5 billion for expansion, but unions argue the sum is insufficient.
The staffing crisis is deepening. More than one in three teachers is over 50 years old. Between 2025 and 2027, Germany is expected to train 3,000 fewer new teachers than it needs. In 2024, the education sector recorded a sick-leave rate of 6.4 percent, largely driven by respiratory infections and mental health issues. Short-term absences of up to three days accounted for less than ten percent of all missed days.
That statistic fuels part of the current anger. A coalition committee decision in early July plans to abolish the telephone sick note and require a doctor’s certificate from the first day of illness. Until now, many employees only needed a medical note after the fourth day. The GEW calls the move a vote of no confidence in workers and warns it will create extra bureaucracy. Alongside that, the government is pushing to extend fixed-term contracts without a specific reason up to 48 months. Ver.di and the GEW have labelled the plan “Befristungswahnsinn” – fixed-term madness. The IG Metall union describes the overall reform package as mixed, while critics inside the labour movement demand a more combative stance against job cuts in the public sector and attacks on the eight-hour day.
On the regional level, North Rhine-Westphalia is pressing ahead with its own structural changes. The school committee has approved a new training and examination regulation for upper secondary schools. Starting in the 2027/28 academic year, a fifth Abitur subject with a presentation exam will be introduced. Education Minister Dorothee Feller calls it a modern framework. More contentious is the planned introduction of mandatory language support in so-called ABC classes from 2028. Childcare providers and unions express serious doubts about practical implementation and the additional strain on staff.
Despite the upheaval, the GEW consolidated its position as the strongest force in recent elections for the overall staff council of teachers – for instance, in the Wiesbaden area on July 8. A sign of enduring influence during a period of far-reaching change.
The protests continued: the Association for Education and Training (VBE) launched a petition in the Wesel district calling for smaller learning groups and sustainable staff planning. Another large demonstration organised by the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) is scheduled for July 10 in Bremen.
