Warsaw: Pickets at Azteca Bar Continue

Pickets at Azteca Bar in Warsaw are continuing. After failure to make any progress with the boss on Friday / Saturday, ZSP decided to picket the establishment every day at lunch and dinner hours. The protests are related to illegal deductions taken from the pay of our dismissed comrade, attempts to make people work illegally, without any contract and unpaid trial periods, with 'training' that the boss wants to charge workers for if they do not work a certain period of time.

During the first picket on Monday, the boss of the bar became very agressive towards the leafleters and started making many threats. According to him, handing out leaflets should end in 'criminal charges" and he threatened to sue us for losses his business has incurred due to our pickets. He made a great scene, shouting at and filming the protestors and calling the police. Neighbours and passersby then got involved in the argument. Most people tell him he should pay the money.

In the evening the protestors consisted of more senior citizens and the boss became more subdued and only shouted at the younger people. Again the police and city guards were called and again the boss was told that we have the right to picket him. We promised that we would return tomorrow, he could be assured.

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First Picket at Azteca Bar

On Aug. 20, ZSP held an action at Azteca Bar in Warsaw. We are demanding an end to the deliberate cheating of vulnerable workers in this cafe.

The problems which led to the conflict are the following:

1. The owner of the bar (Jakub Mazur) uses unpaid trial periods for workers. On top of that, he claims that he provides "training" to the workers and estimates the value of this training at 1300 zloties (326 euro). He gives the workers contracts which state that this money will be deducted from their salaries if they do not work a certain period of time. It is approximately one month's salary - for full-time workers, So if somebody works only one month, s/he will receive nothing.

Most of the workers are students, working part time. Our comrade, a high-school student, was earning about 500 zloties a month (125 euros), so this fake "training" would cost people like that almost three months' salary!
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Thousands Rally in Defense of Secularism

In a rare anti-clerical action, thousands rallied late last night in front of the Presidential Palace, demanding the removal of "Kaczynski's Cross". The cross, which was placed there after the plane crash in Smolensk, has been the object of much public debate. It became something of a symbol and a place of pilgrimmage for conservatives and far-rightwingers.The anarchist group WRS managed to gather thousands of signatures on a petition to remove the cross.

Many people were against the makeshift shrine in front of the palace and authorities decided that it should be moved to a nearby church instead of standing in front of the seat of the President. Attempts to move it resulted in a violent clash.

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Action at Aerobud

The Ukrainian firm Aerobud, which was a subcontractor on a building site in Leszno, did not pay its workers, leading them to down their tools. As it turns out, the people did not even have a written contract and may have problems receiving their pay. Aerobud subsequently decided to hire new people. ZSP was informed of this situation and asked for some help. It decided to take action against Aerobud to inform prospective workers of their practices and to demand that they pay the workers and ensure people work in legal, safe and decent conditions.

There was a visit to their office in Warsaw and information that things will be done in Ukraine. Already warnings have gone out on the internet in that country and soon their with be leafletting and other actions addressed towards the workers. We do not rule out other forms of actions.

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Action in Carrefour

On July 24 there was a protest in a Carrefour supermarket in Warsaw against the humiliating treatment of workers imposed by tbe management. The protest was directly related to the introduction of the "red dot" system where employees have to stand on red dots in the middle of the crowded market to speak to their managers. It came out that workers even had to stand there if they wanted to take a toilet break.

Workers protested that this was ridiculous since sometimes that even had to wait 5-10 minutes for a supervisor to come and give them permission to leave their work station for a toilet break. This time to get permission is a lot longer than just going to the toilet, so it actually makes the break much longer. However, if an employee goes without permission, s/he could be fired. The workers feel this is done especially to discourage them from asking for breaks.

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Euro Pride in Warsaw

by Pantera

This year the Euro Pride parade took place in Warsaw. Poland is a country with an overinfluential Catholic church and homophobia is common. Most homosexuals are still "in the closet" in public life, for example in workplace. There can take place mobbing or discrimination - which is hard to prove and causes distress. So the people stay silent.

Again, a big part of Polish society do not accept gay parades or any public exhibition of another sexuality or other values than traditional, heterosexual family. The most aggressive of these are "real Catholics" and "real patriots" who are so fearing the difference that they make physical attacks on parade. Again this year, eggs, bottles and other objects thrown. Counterdemonstrations all over city.

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Spot the Red Dots

Members of ZSP are engaged in an action against "red dots" which have been set up in Carrefour supermarkets throughout Poland. The red dots are on the floor in central places in the supermarket and workers are supposed to go stand there if they have to talk to a supervisor. As it turns out, they are also supposed to stand there if they want a toilet break. The absurdity is that, if they were just to go to the toilet, it would probably take a couple of minutes; workers have found that they have to stand 5-10 minutes on the red dot before a supervisor approaches to ask to go to the toilet. If they do not get this permission, it is said that they took an unauthorized break from work. For such "unauthorized absences" from your workplace, you can even get fired.


We are leaving subversive messages on these red dots for all to see and  encouraging workers to take  action against this absurd and humiliating system.  With leafets to the customers, we encourage people to send their opinions to Carrefour management through their website. 

http://www.carrefour.pl/page/pl/tanie-promocje/kontakt/twoje-sugestie/ Read more!

Discussion in Bratislava

On July 9 there was a discussion in Bratislava with members of our sister organization, Direct Action. A few experiences and lessons from ZSP campaigns were examined and discussed with a few towards developing better practice. We are hoping that we will also see members of Direct Action here in Warsaw soon! Read more!

Alternative Social Forum in Warsaw

ZSP Warsaw will organize an Alternative Social Forum at the end of October, to coincide with the Polish Social Forum.  We invite comrades, especially from neighbouring regions, to attend. We are hoping to organize more concrete information about the event in September. For now, a preliminary list of topics may be found here:  



http://forumspoleczne.blogspot.com Read more!

Situation of Stranded Chinese Workers

After a week of camping in the rain, the construction workers from China who are looking for help getting home decided to abandon their protest. After this, they unfortunately decided not to return and to try and work ("illegally") for some while.


ZSP decided to continue its pressure on Turret Development with leafletting and other means. Turret still claims that it has no formal relationship with these workers and has not made efforts to help.


One state agency has become investigating the situation.


At this point we are waiting for further developments to know what to do. Read more!

Picket at Start People

ZSP again took part in the International Day of Actions at the Start People temporary work agency. The action is in solidarity with our comrade from CNT-AIT Zaragoza and with all workers struggling against precarious employment conditions.

Last November, Start People tried to change the contractual conditions of a group of people working in Qualytel. Our comrade who refused to accept worse conditions did not have her contract renewed. Although the court later ruled that she was essentially dismissed illegally, and although the court found an illegal transfer of workers, she was not reinstated in her job.

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Start People: Stop Exploitation!

 

They say we are in crisis time, but bankers, traders, CEOs and many others continue to receive incredible incomes.

Meanwhile, living conditions of workers and unemployed, etc.., are increasingly deteriorating. Precarious workers are particularly affected by the rising of unemployment. So temporary work agencies take advantage of an exploitable labor, that is forced to accept the conditions set by employers, to avoid the risk of no longer being proposed for new missions and fearing of being repressed by the JobAgency (which is closer to a police station than anything).

Some workers reject this logic. So it is precisely because she has refused her
inhuman conditions that a militant of the CNT-AIT Zaragoza (Spain) Union, who
was employee of STARTPEOPLE, has been fired illegally. Indeed, in November 2009, workers of the said temporary work agency received a letter challenging the previous labor contracts and degrading working conditions, under threat
of being fired or not renewed.

In STARTPEOPLE, fight against the degradation of working conditions is grounds for dismissal. Several sections of the IWA (International Workers Association ) were mobilized across Europe in April to show their support to the Zaragoza CNT-AIT struggle.

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Unsuccessful Scare Tactics

Lawyers for the firm Turret Development are trying, unsuccessfully, to scare off ZSP and dissuade them from their campaign to get plane tickets back to China for 21 stranded workers who are stuck in Warsaw without money or a valid work permit.

The workers were employed on the Wola Tower construction site. Turret's lawyers are trying to convince people that they bear no respsonsibility whatsoever for what went on with these workers. They claim (despite  what is written on their own webpages) they have nothing to do with Wola Tower and that the investor is a company called "Massandra" and that subcontractors are at fault.

It should be noted that "Massandra" is actually part of the Turret group, with the same Chairman of the Board, same registered headquarters and office, etc. etc. The same capital group runs various interconnected companies and, in cases like this, tries to shift responsibility onto other entities.

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TV Appearance about Temporary Work Abroad

A member of ZSP Warsaw appeared on television to give advice to workers, particularly to students, who are about to go to work abroad this summer. Viewers were warned about common problems temporary workers face, about what to look out for in their contracts and what to do if they encounter problems at work abroad. The program lasted almost a half hour. Read more!

ZSP Demands Plane Tickets for Stranded Workers

ZSP has started a campaign to help get plane tickets bought for 21 Chinese workers who are stranded in Warsaw and have no money to get home. All of them are in a precarious situation: they have little money and face deportation. They are camped on the lawn of the Chinese Embassy in extremely bad conditions.

The people worked on the Wola Tower construction site in Warsaw. ZSP is asking the firms involved to pay for tickets back to China. 

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