Pracujesz na umowie śmieciowej? Możemy pomóc!
ZSP protested the practices of OTTO Workforce during an event OTTO sponsored called "OTTO Cup" which was held in the central square of the city. Leaflets were handed out warning of some of OTTO's actions against workers and what can be done to fight back. In addition, there was some criticism of the spectacle of the OTTO Cup. This was an international football competition of homeless people and both the city of Wroclaw and this company try to portray themselves as being charitable and helping homeless people. At the same time the city pretends it is interested in helping the homeless, it is creating policies that threaten to force many more people into homelessness. We mentioned the experience of the tenants' organization founded in Wroclaw by our comrades and their neighbours. OTTO, on the other hand, was already involved in an international scandal about its part in a scheme to help the Dutch government get rid of undesirable Polish immigrants by bringing them to Wroclaw, where they would be housed in a homeless shelter and resocialized. The city of Wroclaw did not agree to this and many Poles were furious with the ways the Dutch government were trying to think up to deport people from their country.
On July 1, near the stage of the city's gala concert to mark Poland's taking over the EU presidency, we held a protest against the price increases adopted by the city. The price of public transport is going up an average of 70%, day care almost 600%, water and sewage 30%. In addition, the city plans the privatization of the company that provides heat.
ZSP is campaigning against the increases and calls for direct action, including not paying transport fares and organizing alternative day care instead of paying the outrageous prices. ZSP also calls for transport to come under control of the workers and community. Signatures were gathered at the protest for a referendum which would overturn these decisions and block the privatization.
ZSP condemns the decision of Solidarity to invite Pawel Kukiz to sing at the demonstration June 30 in Warsaw.
Kukiz actively supported the march of nationalist groups on Nov.11, 2010. Nationalism is an ideology which divides workers, who instead need to be united internationally to fight the exploitation they face. Kukiz is also an opponent of gay rights, thus supporting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Workers' movements should be fighting all types of discrimination, which is also to the benefit of the bosses and divisive against working people.
Unite and fight against the ideology of discrimination in the workers movement!
ZSP Warsaw
Description of demo on local blog: www.zspwawa.blogspot.com
Last month the ZSP protested against price increases at the City Council. Despite hours of controversial debate, the neoliberal majority had already decided to do what they had done in many cities throughout Poland: raise the prices of different public services in a way that average working people would have to bear more costs.
The price raises are quite significant: public transport costs on average 70% higher (with some tickets raised even more), water and sewage 30% higher and, worst of all, the price of public nursery schools raised almost 600% for most people. It is true that the prices for the nursery schools will be lower for people earning minimum wage, but the highest rates are already imposed on anybody making just 60% of the average wage and will cost almost 300 euros a month (!!!) This is completely unaffordable and will hit working class mothers, especially single mothers the most. It is simply impossible for the average working mother to afford this price!
There is still the situation of injured worker Maciej, who does not know if he will receive further sick pay due to the inappropriate actions of OTTO, and now some people working in Wroclaw were also cheated and not paid for all the hours they worked. Due to the continued revelations of problems with OTTO Workforce, including more incidents brought to light by Dutch investigative journalists, ZSP announced that it would picket OTTO every day starting June 20, for at least the next two weeks, and maybe longer.
Yesterday the first in this new series of pickets was held in Warsaw. Today, OTTO was more prepared and called in some security goons to try and intimidate the activists. The "tough guys" pathetically tried to claim that people could not give out leaflets. When somebody asked them what they were talking about and why not, they said "because we don't want you here" and made veiled threats about the "very stupid" thing we were doing and tried to take people's photos. Of course they were told to fuck off.
This is not the first time that we have seen OTTO try to intimidate people in such a way - their security in Holland even was physically attacking people and we witnessed how they barked at any workers who wanted to take a leaflet. This is part of the problem that workers face with this company; they are constantly surprised by goons who tell them what they can and cannot do and arbitrarily put fines on them and intimidate them so they are afraid to fight back. But if OTTO thinks such primitive tactics are going to discourage us, they are complete fools. NONE of their psychological tactics will dissuade us, neither their smiley faced dismissal of problems, pretending they are going to do something when they are not, nor their denial or claims that things are just "isolated mistakes" or their attempts to use police and security thugs against us.
Workers beware and organize against cheating and exploitation!
Solidarity Campaign! Please send emails using the form on the page www.otto.zsp.net.pl
Situation of Injured Worker on Sick Leave
Maciej was injured on the job while working in Belgium through OTTO Workforce. He was supposed to be covered by Dutch insurance, since he was working through a Dutch company and living in Holland and this insurance should then be transferred and valid in Poland. But the company had informed the Dutch insurer that Maciej was no longer an employee the day after he went on sick leave and, when he returned to Poland, he found he was not insured, had medical bills and was not getting paid for sick leave.
ZSP strongly protests against the actions of the police during Saturday's demonstration on Trzech Krzyży Sq. In Warsaw and against them in general.
While many millions of people in Poland are condemned to poverty, the government spends our public money on protecting the elites and (unsuccessful) attempts to scare the people that do not agree with this system and decided to publicly show their opposition. On Saturday, there was an army of police on the streets, making life difficult for ordinary people by creating cordons and detours. The police scared off and threatened many people on the way to the demonstration that if they go, they would not be allowed to leave. Police armed with tear gas was mobilized against demonstrators, there were snipers and a new instrument of repression, the LRAD.
ZSP organized two demonstrations called „Days of Rage” on 27-28 May in Warsaw during the Visegrad Summit and the visit of US President Barak Obama.
The day before, 26 May, we warmed up with a protest at the City Council together with tenant activists. There they were voting on a series of price raises: for public transport (a 100% increase), for sewage, water and again for rent in public housing. (Rents were raised just 2 years ago 200-300%.) We interrupted the session with the protest and the chairwoman of the Council immediately asked the city guards to intervene – but this brought no result. After some time, knowing that there would be many speeches against these plans, we let the session continue. The Council agreed that we could have four speakers present arguments officially in the Council. At the same time, they refused to allow the opinion of Solidarity trade union to be read.
FF Mercantil runs a sweatshop in Araxa, Brazil. It produces football shoes, uniforms, clothing and other accessories for the Lotto and Finta brands. The working conditions are poor - long hours and work weeks, excessive heat, fumes from glue, insufficient pay. The workers began to organize themselves. That is when the repression began.
A member of the COB-AIT was fired for this reason, as were several of his colleagues. What is more, some goons showed up at the office of the union in Araxa, threatening people with "pistoleros". Such hired thugs are known to shoot inconvenient unionists. The boss's henchmen also tried to take photos of those present.
We cannot let the bosses get away with such behaviour! A support campaign is underway. You can send an email protest using the form on the page: www.lotto.zsp.net.pl. There is also more information about the case there, in different languages.
The workers are demanding an 8-hour work day, a 5-day working week, air conditioning and extra pay for working in hazardous conditions.
COB has called for a boycott of the Lotto and Finta brands as a way to put pressure on them. BTW, the Lotto webpage contains a bullshit self-promotional blurb on "corporate responsibility" while it is using sweatshop labor to produce its goods!
Pass this news on and please support the workers' struggle today!
Rumors have been circulating in the press about the ban of the protest and action entitled „Barracks for Obama”, organized by the ZSP, to be followed by an anti-war demonstration. These are part of the demonstrations planned during the visit of Barack Obama and the presidents of other countries for the Meeting of Central European Presidents.
