Pracujesz na umowie śmieciowej? Możemy pomóc!
A couple of women employed to work in the Wago Elwag factory in Wroclaw did not receive their proper payment for all the hours worked when they received their first salary. They quit the job and decided to do something about the situation. At first OTTO gave them the run around. Later we spoke to a manager at OTTO during our protest in Wroclaw. She claimed that workers in the factory were doing piece work and only were paid for what they produced - however we pointed out that the contracts were just for 40 hours a week at a certain wage per hour. They workers received their payment a few days later and ZSP is trying to make sure there are not other workers in the factory with similar problems. We also encourage both OTTO workers in general, as well as the people in the factory, to organize themselves to avoid similar incidents of abuse.
At the end of May, during the visit of US President Barak Obama to Poland, we organized some protests, including one on Plac Trzech Krzyży in Warsaw. Besides the usual tactics they tried, including keeping about 100 people away from the protest, they brought along an LRAD. Those few of us who knew what the strange device was were very surprised: not only did nobody know that the police had this weapon, but we were fairly sure that its use is illegal. And we were right.
We later contacted the media and made a scandal about the police having this weapon, demanding to know how they spent public money on something that isn't even legal. The main newspaper in Poland wrote about this, asking the same question. Later, Amnesty International and the Helsinki Foundation joined in and this newspaper printed another article with the criticisms.
Some members of the ZSP from Warsaw are being sued for a film they made and put on the internet. Other members of the Tenants' Defense Committee are also being sued because the film was on their website. The video documents the problems of two families who have been having problems with their landlady, who wants to evict them, for years.
The video was intended to give tenants a voice in a system which is extremely one-sided, ignoring their rights and not even ensuring they are protected by the rights they have under the law.
ZSP has been running daily pickets at OTTO offices in Poland since the middle of June. Thousands of leaflets have been printed and distributed already. The picketing will continue for some time more on a daily basis during this busy hiring season.
We are also reaching out to the workers sent to Wago/Elwag factory in Wroclaw. The firm is a producer of electronic components. Two workers decided to fight back against OTTO when they did not receive the total amount of money for the hours they work. At Saturday's protest, a representative of OTTO claimed that this is because work in the factory is piecework, although the workers' contracts state they are paid by the hour. We are warning people who might be sent to work there about this possible cheating and demanding that OTTO pay what is promised in the contracts.
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.
