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On April 19, Roche corporation held an international meeting in Warsaw to announce „restructuring plans” which will mean mass firings and outsourcing of about 200 IT jobs in Warsaw and Madrid.
Representatives of the corporation from different countries came to the Hilton Hotel conference center. One member of ZSP went into the conference hall with leaflets denouncing these actions and calling on workers to take mass action against the company. Some IT workers who would be affected were also present. Outside was a picket in a place right below the windows of the conference and, with excellent acustics, this was heard very well.
ZSP is advising the workers about to be fired about how to claim benefits that they were denied when they were falsely employed as „entrepeneurs”.
We thank the comrades of KRAS who on April 17 made a picket in Moscow at Roche. They report that there was a lot of interest and many workers took their leaflets.
On April 13, Alchemia company, which last week fired striking workers from Huta Batory ironworks in Chorzow, held an extraordinary shareholders meeting at its headquarters in Warsaw. ZSP went to protest the firing of the workers, the use of temp agencies to replace permanent jobs in the ironworks and Alchemia's plans to do this in other workplaces and to protest Alchemia's plans to liquidate the ironworks.
The workers in Huta Batory started a wildcat strike on April 2, which the owners of the ironworks, Alchemia, tried to violently repress. This attempt to break the strike did not work thanks to the solidarity of many local people. The company then decided to fire about 120 workers, lockout the rest and announce that they would liquidate the ironworks.
On Monday, April 2, about 350-400 ironworkers from the Huta Batory ironworks in Chorzow started a wildcat strike. The reason for this was that the company had started firing people. At the same time, they were employing people through temp agencies. These ironworkers were earning about 1400 net, (350 euros), about half of what the permanent workers were making. The management of the ironworks announced that the company had decided to replace staff with temporary agency workers and that the goal would be to have 80% agency workers. Last week alone the company dismissed 50 people.
ZSP organized several protests during the IWA Action Days, March 29-31. Due to the fact that the Parliament was holding discussions about raising the retirement age and protests were quickly organized for March 29 and 30, we reorganized our plans a little and participated in these protests.
On March 29, we protested at the Parliament with a banner saying "the strike is our best weapon", handing out leaflets and talking to the rank and file members of mainstream unions about radicalizing protests and the strike in Spain. Many sent their greetings to our comrades in struggle that day.
On March 31, we marched in Warsaw against various anti-social nightmares created by the capitalist disease. Despite the mixture of rain, hail and snow throughout the day, and despite rumours in the papers that we'd start a riot and occupy key government offices, which scared away some of the people, a few hundred people marched through the city, stopping at various locations to talk about problems such as eviction, reprivatization of buildings, militarism, the high cost of education, poor working conditions, anti-union repression, corruption in the government and the role of the police, etc. etc. etc.
Members of ZSP and some Spanish students protested in solidarity with the general strike in Spain. The ZSP called on local people also to make a general strike, including a worldwide general strike against capitalism. Chants were made in Polish and Spanish and drew a lot of attention from passersby.
Earlier in the day, the ZSP had also visited a protest against raising pension reforms. We raised the banner about a general strike and many rank and file workers came to talk and take photos with us. Even though these people are in a union which does not like the idea of general strikes (Solidarity), many of the rank and file members think differently than the union bosses and were quite interested also in learning about the strike in Spain. They send their solidarity to the strikers. Oddly enough, when visiting the Spanish embassy, we also received support from a couple of the embassy workers.
Unfortunately we were a little sabotaged by rain, but never mind. When we see the strike action that our comrades are making, our moods were very sunny.
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.
