1 July ZSP from Wroclaw held a solidarity picket as a part of international action against union busting Starbucks. They demanded reinstatement of Cole from US IWW and Monica from CNT in Spain who were fired for trying to organize unions in Starbucks.

Starbucks will open in Poland in the fall. AmRest will control the Starbucks. This company also runs Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King, Freshpoint and other restaurants in Poland. Members of ZSP promised to investigate the workers' rights situation in these restaurants and will also encourage the workers of Starbucks to organize.

Photos:

A wave of actions is being planned to protest against the actions of Lionbridge corporation and in solidarity with the independent union movement.

LIONBRIDGE – STOP REPRESSING TRADE-UNION MEMBERS!

In December 2007, workers in the Polish office of Lionbridge Technologies - a multinational company - created a trade union based on non-hierarchical principles. On Feb. 12, 2008, Jakub G., a union representative was dismissed without notice. The dismissal came shortly after the announcement to management that a union had been formed in the workplace and despite the fact that Jakub was protected by Polish Labor Law as an elected union representative.

On May 1 an anarchist demonstration took place in Warsaw. A couple of hundred
people came from all the different anarchist groups, including Union of Syndicalists. The demo went to the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, to the State Labour Inspectorate, a temp agency and a pro-business lobby's headquarters. Many topics were raised, including the amendment of the Labour Code, discrimination in the workplace, the topic of casual work, firing of unionists and capitalist brainwashing. A happening about discrimination in the workplace was organized by anarchafeminists from A-Fe.

A pathetic counterdemonstration was organized by fascists. The night before, a
talk organized by Freedom, Equality and Solidarity was attacked by fascists who
through some incendiary devices into the meeting place. Nobody was hurt.

Some pictures from May Day can be found here:
http://cia.bzzz.net/zdjecia_z_manifestacji_pierwszomajowej
http://cia.bzzz.net/zdjecie_z_1_maja

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the start of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was a great resistance of fewer than 1000 poorly armed people against the Nazi killing machine. They held out for almost one month, despite tremendous odds. Many non-insurgents were killed as a result: in total at least 7000 killed by Nazis, another 6000 being burnt alive or killed by smoke. The end of the uprising saw the liquidation of the ghetto, with most of its residents - about 50,000 people - being sent to death camps.

On this day we remember the dead, those killed by hatred and anti-semitism and we say "Never Again". Members of the Warsaw group of the Union of Syndicalists lit candles and left cards with commemorations and anti-fascist slogans throughout the area of the former ghetto, at the monument and at the Umschlagplatz. We will never forget.

As the plague of fascism and antisemitism lingers around the world, we vow to resist it, in the streets, in our hearts, in our minds, in resistance.

No Pasaran!

On Saturday March 29, about 800-1000 people demonstrated against the installation of a US missile base in northern Poland. Members of the Union of Syndicalists were co-organizers of this manifestation. The base, which the governments of the US and Poland would like to build in Redzikowo, just outside of Slupsk near the Baltic Sea, would house elements of the American Missile Defense program, namely so-called interceptor missiles (which can also be used for offensive purposes. Despite the fact that 60% of local residents and over half of all Poles are strongly against the base, and only a small fraction of the rest support it, the government is intent to go ahead and build the base. A radar base is also to be built in the Czech Republic, again despite the opposition of most citizens.

The Union of Syndicalists (ZSP) Warsaw group visited the Colombian embassy in Warsaw on March 6 for the protest against state-sponsored violence in that country. Protests, called for by the National Movement of Victims and backed by human rights groups, trade unions and families of victims, were held in over 180 cities around the world.

ZSP wanted especially to draw attention to the violence against trade unionists and the involvement of the state, corporations, paramilitaries and even the US government in the killing, tortures, beatings and harrassment of unionists. The ZSP activists brought pictures of murdered unionists to decorate the embassy with and spoke about the general situation as well as specific cases in firms such as Chiquita, Coca Cola, Drummond and Nestle.

Members of the Union of Syndicalists along with comrades from the Anarchist Federation and some others held an action / solidarity picket in and in front of an Auchan supermarket in Warsaw on Jan. 25. The action was held because of Auchan's poor labour practices which include:

- low pay
- wide use of contract labour in their supermarkets and incidents of using work agencies which did not signvalid contracts with employees, among other abuses
- bad social policy
- bad working hours including the illegal use of underaged workers forcing them towork overnight shifts
- forcing people to perform physically dangerous work, for example dragging pallets which are too heavy, and work which causes repetitive strain injury
- repression of people agitating for the creation of unions, including the recent firing in Zielona Gora of one activist from the group Workers' Initiative

International Secretariat
is [at] zsp.net.pl

National Secretariat
info [at] zsp.net.pl

Sections of ZSP

Multi-Branch Union Warsaw
(Warsaw and area)
(Education, IT, Agency Workers,Health Care Restaurants and Hotels)
warszawa [at] zsp.net.pl

Lower Silesia
(Wrocław and area)
dolnyslask [at] zsp.net.pl

Łódz Region
lodz [at] zsp.net.pl

On Friday the Wroclaw section of ZSP held a solidarity picket for a fired activist of Workers' Initiative in front of an Auchan supermarket. The activist was fired from Auchan in Zielona Gora shortly after there was an action demanding better wages and work conditions there.

ZSP members and supporters gave out a few hundred leaflets and had a banner which read "Enough Repression for Workers' Activism". After some 40 minutes, a security guard tried to verbally intimidate the protestors and asked them to follow him inside the building. The protestors ignored him. About 15 minutes later, all the leaflets were already gone and the activists were ready to go home when the guard came back with 8 of his colleagues and the director of security. They tried to threaten the activists which made them resolve to stay.

Budryk Miners have been on strike since Dec. 17th. Click here for more information and a translation of the miners' appeal.

The miners are fighting for equal pay. Their state-owned mine is going to be merged with a larger state-owned group, JSW, the largest coal producer in Europe. Despite the fact that the Budryk workers are extremely efficient, they found out their salaries would be up to 200 euros less a month than their colleagues at JSW.

The Board at Budryk announced on New Year's Day that it sent a letter to the state security agency and the prosecutor's office about the strikers. They claim that the strikers are causing financial losses for the state treasury and have committed "crimes" during the strike.

Please show your solidarity with the striking miners by sending a solidarity letter. Here are some sample letters: