(en) IWA External Bulletin #8* - Belchatow Hospital Workers Fight for their Jobs!

A group of workers have been sitting in at the Belchatow Hospital and demanding to go back 
to work. ---- On May 24 we protested in front of their workplace. 60 women have found 
themselves suddenly without any income after the contractor was changed at the hospital 
and they were not transferred to the new company. ---- The women are cleaners and meal 
servers at the hospital and most have worked there many years. Such workers used to be 
directly employed by the hospital, but out-sourcing has become very popular in the last 
ten years in Poland. When outsourced, their jobs become much more precarious and on worse 
working conditions. Although there are laws related to the transfer of employees, 
companies often ignore them, as was in this case.

The workers were employed through a firm called Naprzod from Krakow which is supposed to 
be a ?cooperative? for people with disabilities. All of the women working at the hospital 
have some form of disability, usually minor, that does not interfere with their work at 
all. Employers get some tax incentives for employing people in this category.

New actions are planned against the entities which are involved in the situation.

In the meanwhile, the workers keep showing up at the hospital but fear the management will 
soon use force to block them.

Those who would like to show solidarity can send protest emails through the form at 
soli.zsp.net.pl

* www.iwa-ait.org/sites/default/files/documents/iwa_external_bulletin_no.8_june_2014.pdf