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发表于 2008-6-6 16:35:35
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Polish Post employers continue protest
04.06.2008
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The employees of Polish Post are continuing their protest. The strike was initiated on Monday by the Solidarity trade union, demanding pay rises by about 250 USD while the employer is offering 140 USD. According to the spokesman for the post service, Zbigniew Baranowski, up to five thousand postal workers, including three thousand three hundred postmen were on strike yesterday - the number Solidarity trade union estimated at even up to fourteen thousand. Although post offices are open, the letters are not being sorted.
Danuta Isler reports
The negotiations between the management of the Polish Post and its employees have been going on for months during which the trade unions have threatened with strike several times but have always called it off at the last moment. Now the union demands a pay rise of 537 zloty gross or about 250 USD whereas the management proposes 305 zloty gross or 140 USD. The postal workers are also critical of the way that the company is being run. The open-ended protest is to finish when the management complies with the pay demands.
Andrzej Warpas, the spokesman of the protesting committee says postal workers would like to see an intervention of Poland's infrastructure ministry - which is the majority stakeholder in the company: 'So far we have not met with that kind of interest on their part. Infrastructure minister or his deputy were present during some of our negotiations but we did not notice them making any move towards the company's employees. All they did was keep confirming position the firm stand of the General Directorate of Polish Post.'
Polish Post management says the strike is illegal and the prosecutor's office has already been notified about that. According to Zbigniew Baranowski, the spokesman of Polish Post, the strike had been agreed upon before the management started negotiations with all the trade unions while in many places the unionists prevent workers who wanted to come to work from doing so:
'The majority of the trade unions reached an agreement with Polish Post except for Solidarity which had already had a ready scenario before their strike even started. Also, they say that the strike was agreed upon in a referendum. The referendum did take place it and the majortiy of workers did agree on the strike but it was held before the end of the negotiations so the workers had no idea what the outcome of the negotiations or the salary increase would be,' said Zbigniew Baranowski of Polish Post.
So far, not many customers feel directly affected by the strike. Those who do are mostly older people who have their monthly pensions delivered by the postmen.
'They should have displayed information about the strike earlier. I have just stood in line to the doctor's and now I have to stand in line again here - this is insane. There is more and more chaos in this country with each coming government. Also, there are people who came here to withdraw money from their accounts and they are unable to do so now. How can you trust your own country in such a situation? '
Infrastructure minister Cezary Grabarczyk has already appealed to the "Solidarity" trade unions to "give up their unrealistic demands". Malgorzata Rusewicz of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers "Lewiatan" agrees those demands pose a big problem: 'We have problems with strikes not only at post offices, but also, with workers of the medical sector so the issue is very big and we have to deal with it. Unfortunately, most of the employers cannot manage will all those demands, especially when it comes to wages because when you want to give something to people you have to know where you may take it from. Not every employer has money to offer at this particular moment. The problem is also that growth and development of skills is not growing.'
According to Rusewicz one solution to current problems of Polish Post would be the use of outsourcing, e.g. to neighboring Czech Republic which has a better tax system and offers better possibilities for employers. The strike of Polish Post workers will continue until an agreement can be reached. |
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