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Activists from the ZSP and the Tenants' Defence Committee strongly condemned the policies of the government and the city of Warsaw during a press conference dedicated to the increasing number of evictions to be expected in light of the upcoming end of the protection period on March 31.
There is no perspective for millions of families that cannot afford to buy a flat or to rent one at the commercial rates. In addition, the government has made the eviction process easier. After March 31 (the end of the protection period), people can be thrown out onto the street without the need to give them replacement housing. This is one of the reasons why we will be demonstrating in Warsaw on March 31 against the antisocial policies of the government.
On March 20 we went to a session of the local council to protest plans to privatize more school cafeterias in Warsaw. The city wants to privatize cafeterias in 66 schools this year, firing 190 kitchen staff. The kitchens would then be run by private companies who would employ people on much worse conditions.
ZSP and ZSP education workers oppose these plans and is organizing amongst the kitchen staff and parents. Besides the problems of the casualization of the kitchen work, we see that the privatization of the cafeterias lead to higher prices and aggravate already existing class differences. Last year, when 33 cafeterias were privatized in Warsaw, the cost of meals rose by at least 30%, making them unaffordable for some parents. The present average cost of meals makes the price of 20 meals equal to about 10% of the minimum wage.
The privatizations are just part of a series of attacks against education and education workers which include the liquidation of schools and various aspects of privatization and casualization of jobs in schools.
On March 30 we will hold a demo in defense of the work places and for decent conditions for all staff.
On March 16 ZSP was planning to hold a demonstration at the Russian Embassy in support of Russian antifascists. Unfortunately earlier that day, police raided a squat in Warsaw, using tear gas, bringing water cannons and the LRAD. Since most comrades were there, we could not hold the demo as planned, but since some comrades showed up, we picketed anyway. We complained about the actions of nationalist, racist and fascist groups in Russia and the actions of the government, both in sometimes supporting this and in attempting to criminalize antifascists.
Solidarity is sent from those who couldn't come but still support the struggle against fascism.
On March 15, we protested at the Roche office in Poznan, demanding reinstatement of our comrade, the recognition of his employment status and an end to shady non-employment practices which deny workers this status and benefits. The demonstration came in a charged atmosphere as Roche revealed that it actually plans to outsource the work currently being done by fake independent contractors and workers sent by intermediaries.
Instead of using the people already working for them, Roche was to just move the work off-site and get rid of their little labour problem. It is unclear when these changes will be made, whether the jobs will go gradually or all at once.
There is some speculation as to whether the company got rid of our colleague as to scare people and get rid of an organizer before the people would lose their jobs.
ZSP is currently discussing the possibility that more workers sue the company for recognition of their status and to claim benefits they were owed.
Today, as part of the days of action in solidarity with the Ryanair Don't Care campaign, we gave out leaflets in the main square in Poznan. Passersby were quite curious what it was about and a few were quite shocked or disgusted to find out about the recruitment scam in Britain. Several people said to please send their best wishes to the campaign.
March 12-18 is the International Week of Support for the Ryanair Don't Care campaign. ZSP has been postering and handing out leaflets about the situation of workers in Ryanair and about the campaign. We've published an article on the internet and have been encouraging people to send Ryanair protest emails.
Informational actions are planned for March 14-16 in a couple of cities in Poland. On the photo is an action at Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw.
Since we are also handing out leaflets in airports and trains, we will be distributing leaflets in different languages. An English-language leaflet can be downloaded here.
The ZSP-IWA declares its active support for the general strike called by the CNT-AIT.
We support the stance of this union, which rejects the labor reform and any negotiations over rights already won, calling instead for new struggles of the working class against the assaults of capitalism.
For the CNT, the strike of March 29 should be just the beginning of a process of increasing and sustained mobilization, The ZSP-AIT also understands that a one-day strike is not enough to maintain the pressure against the capitalists' assaults, thus we call on workers to increase their struggle and not to give it over to the unions which may negotiate away their power.
On March 8 there was a protest at Roche global headquarters in Switzerland organized by the local FAU and ZSP. Speeches were made in German and English describing the situation in Roche Polska which inspired the picket. We demanded the reinstatement of our comrade on a regular contract and payment of benefits to all the fake independent contractors.
The picket drew a lot of attention and many employees took leaflets and stopped to talk to the picketers.
The ZSP informed the headquarters that it will not back down and will continue with protests and the information campaign aimed towards the workers.
On March 8, members of the ZSP and FAU Switzerland organized protests at the headquarters of both ABB and Adecco corporations. The pickets were to show support of the EULEN-ABB strikers and to bring this case to the main offices of these companies.
We handed out hundreds of leaflets. Many employees of ABB and Adecco took them. At ABB many stopped to ask about the strike. The reaction at Adecco was rather hostile though, with claims that they are just "providing services" and threats to call the police.
After some hours of picketing, we left to Basel for another action at Roche global headquarters.
On March 5, ZSP organized a picket in front of the headquarters of Roche Polska to demand the reinstatement of our comrade Jakub and to denounce the continued use of falsely self-employed and outsourced workers to deny workers employment contracts and various benefits.
At the offices we picketed, the majority of the people are IT workers, performing jobs for Roche worldwide and earning only a fraction of what IT workers would make in other countries. In addition, Roche uses various forms of external contracting to get workers whom they don't have to pay benefits to. They are not providet by temporary agencies (which, although offering precarious work are at least regulated by the law) but by private "firms" or fake businesses which just bill Roche so that these employees are not on their books. By doing this, Roche does not have to give them the same notice of termination or severance pay, does not offer paid holidays or sick leave, maternity or paternity payments and does not even pay their social security contributions.
