Pracujesz na umowie śmieciowej? Możemy pomóc!
April 27 the ZSP Wroclaw organized an informational picket outside the OTTO office on Komandorska St. in connection with the situation of Maciejm who was not paid sick leave (over 1000 euro per month since March). He was seriously injured and requires medical care and has no money.
Members of ZSP gave out leaflets to potential workers informing them about the practices of OTTO and about their rights in Poland and in Holland. One person said that they should be taken care of with tanks and others started talking about similar practices in other temporary work agencies.
OTTO Workforce Screws Injured Worker
The campaign to improve the treatment of people working for OTTO temporary agency continues. M. was working loading in Belgium where he got an industrial related injury (a hernia). While on leave in Poland, he was told by doctors that he needed to take sick leave but he was essentially dismissed (in temporary agencies this means the company says „we have no more work for you”). He is left with medical bills, has no insurance coverage in Poland and the company is giving him the run-around, refusing to deal with his case.
Protests against capitalism and its logic!
In defense of labour and tenants, against anti-social policies, war and the logic of the security street!
On the occasion of the Visegrad Summit and the visit of Obama to Poland, ZSP calls grassroots organizations and all those who are fed up to get out in the streets and protest!
Main protest: Saturday, May 29 at 12:00 Plac Trzech Krzyży
Against Capitalism and the State, Long Live International Solidarity
May 16-23 in Warsaw, we are organizing events against the borders, in favour of international solidarity. We aim to spread the idea that the existence of borders and the logic of nationalism keeps us divided. As workers much is determined by where we live, or where we come from. The system is forcing us to compete, instead of unite in our struggle.
The events planned include film screenings, discussions, meetings, lectures, streets meetings and a demonstration at the headquarters of Frontex, the EU border agency.
How OTTO Treats Injured Workers
New actions are planned at OTTO Workforce. In addition to previous demands against abuse of temporary workers, we raise the question of the treatment of injured workers. M., who was working in Holland loading goods, sustained a serious injury related to this work. He has been on sick leave. The company has not paid him any money during this time and has said that it will not have any other work for him.
The worker is not able to get any answers from the company, which also refuses to send him anything in writing or even give him the emails of people responsible for claims.
OTTO has claimed to journalists investigating their treatment of workers that claims that they do not always pay for sick leave are unfounded. Yet at the same time, this man, injured on the job, gets absolutely no financial support, is told there is no different work for him and is brushed off when trying to ask about his payment from the company! This is totally unacceptable! No tolerance for labour abuse! OTTO workforce – pay this sick leave and appropriate compensation! New jobs for workers who cannot perform their old ones due to industrial accidents! Better safety and work conditions on the job now!
Some payments have been made to OTTO workers for money they were owed. However, the problems still remain. Workers may be fined, housing conditions are poor. We ask people to send an email to OTTO either directly to the CEO or using this form.
To: Fran van Gool
fvangool@ottoworkforce.eu
Model letter (please change or add what you want):
OTTO WORKFORCE! STOP FINING AND HARASSING WORKERS! PAY WHAT YOU OWE!
STOP THE EXPLOITATION OF FOREIGNER WORKERS AND STOP IGNORING THEIR COMPLAINTS!
OTTO has paid some compensation to 4 Polish workers who fought back against the company's practices in the Netherlands.
Today members of ZSP were supposed to have a meeting at OTTO's Polish headquarters but yesterday the CEO of the company decided to meet with one cheated worker and a representative of the Vrije Bond at their headquarters in Holland. This was the second meeting this week. At the first one, on Monday, the boss denied many of the problems at the agency. However yesterday he wanted to meet again. He decided to make payments to the 3 workers whose claims had not yet been met. (A 4th worker received most of the money he was owed some days ago.)
Members of the ZSP will have a meeting next week to discuss problems with the fining system and other matters and are organizing some informational events in different cities in Poland where many workers are recruited.
Given the vast destruction wrought by the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 and given the threat of a nuclear disaster caused by the destroyed nuclear power plant in Fukushima I, the FAU-IWA launched a solidarity and aid fund for precarious workers in Japan - the "Freeters Solidarity Fund". As an anarcho-syndicalist grassroots trade union, our first concern is the many precarious workers (Freeters), who were excluded even before the disaster, often forced into appalling working and living conditions. It calls for donations for the relief and solidarity fund whose resources are to be used in close consultation with the "Freeters Zenpan Roso," a self-organized group of precarious workers in Japan. Donations, can be sent to the following account: FAU, FAU, Konto 96152201, Postbank Hamburg (BLZ 200 100 20) under the codeword "Freeters". Every little contribution is welcome as an expression of living class solidarity.
On March 21 a group of Polish workers, together with the AGA/Vrije Bond and members of the anarchosyndicalist union ZSP did an action at the headquarters of OTTO Workforce in Venray, Holland, against exploitation and bad work and living conditions. OTTO has been cheating workers from Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia working on precarious contracts in Holland.
On March 7 we learned that one of the most active members of the tenants' movement, Jolanta Brzeska, was found dead in the woods.
Her body had been burnt beyond recognition and it is unclear whether she was alive or dead when it happened.
Jola was 64 years old. She was one of the founders of the Warsaw Tenants' Association, a good speaker and committed activist who went to all demonstrations, who blocked evictions and advised other tenants. She herself was involved in a battle with Warsaw's most notorious slumlord, Marek Mossokowski, and was the last tenant left in a valuable piece of real estate at the time of her death.
