Solidarity Action at Auchan in Warsaw

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

One of the main parts of the action was distributing and putting up stickers which detourned the supermarket's sales circular. For example, statements like "we slash prices" were changed to "we slash wages", etc. The fake circular told the story of the work conditions in the market, the firing in Zielona Gora and encouraged workers to organize themselves. Additionally, fake corporate stickers were added to many products, especially on sales display saying that Auchan fires unionists and guarantees the exploitation of their workers.

Besides this, some leaflets were given to supermarket employees and to customers.

Earlier in the day, stickers were but on the doors of Auchan corporate headquarters.

The next day another action was held in another Auchan market with members of Left Alternative, Anarchist Federation from another city, some Trotskyists, Bolsheviks and unionists. Some banners were unfurled at this action which was somewhat similar to the one the day before. Similar actions were held in Gdansk and Poznan.