ZSP-lWA calls for a week of protest action against the repression of workers from the Post Office in Poland

February 26 - March 4, 2018

For almost two years, postal workers around Poland have been protesting for better working conditions. ZSP has been active in attempts to coordinate national networks, actions and to unionize workers, together with hundreds of other workers spread around the country. All of the workers shared two things in common: they are fed up with the very poor working conditions and were not satisfied with the role of the representative unions which signed various agreements on their behalf with the employer.

Major actions of the ZSP have included exposing the problems in the Post Office and providing a forum for thousands of workers to network, making contacts all over the country and organizing national meetings, promoting alternative unionism and organizing and taking part in organizing national protests, together with thousands of workers.

We call for actions against Amazon and Manpower work agencies for January 26-31, 2015. (Adecco or Randstad agencies may also be picketed). Workers at Amazon warehouses in Poland are fighting back against irregulariities and poor working conditions.

While workers organize themselves and take industrial action in some European locations, Amazon opened two new fulfillment centers in Poland, where the workers earn only a fraction of their European counterparts. There have been many reports of abuse at the workplace, from both people employed directly by Amazon and by agency workers (from Manpower, Adecco and Ranstad agencies).

The ZSP union in Amazon reports a number of irregularities such a late payments, incorrect payments (too little), not paying for time employed but not assigned work, workers without health insurance, health risks and other problems such as different pay in the two warehouses, lack of paid breaks, too little time for lunch.

Cleaners and kitchen staff from Belchatow Hospital will start an indefinite strike on Monday, November 3. The action was called due to the fact that several people on sick leave lost their jobs. The women were workers with disabilities and part of the ZSP union in the hospital. The company servicing the hospital, which employs these women and about 100 other people in the hospital continued to cut staff and in all, 30 people lost their jobs. The rest of the workers decided to join the strike and on Monday, 140 people will walk off the job. The Director may have to evacuate the hospital.

The members of the ZSP union won their jobs back after the last service provider did not accept their transfer. They spent three months unemployed, occupying the hospital and protesting. Finally, a new public tender was held for the services and the women were rehired. However this company also is trying to cut the staff and force the rest of the workers to take on their tasks. The average working time in the hospital is 200 hours per month. Workers with disabilities are entitled to a 35-hour work week.

Various problems occurred when some people took sick leave or wanted to take leave for rehabilitation. (All of the women in the ZSP union have some sort of disability.) Although it is illegal to fire people on sick leave and people with disabilities must not be forced to do a lot of extra work and must be given time for rehabilitation, the price for doing so could be their job.