(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #247 - international,
Poland: rubber bullets against coal miners (fr, it, pt) [machine
translation]
The miners' strike lasted ten days. Nineteen days marked by severe repression, including
firing "non-lethal" who made 20 wounded. The CEO of the mining company resigned and work
resumed, but the claims are far from being met. The fighting union Sierpień 80 was first
in line. ---- Monday, February 9, police fired rubber bullets at 37 mm miners gathered
outside the headquarters of the Coal Company Jastrzebie (Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa, JSW).
There were 20 injured, some seriously. When the police shot the miners shouted "Police,
you want to repeat in December 1981! "(Coup of General Jaruzelski)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPp6oyvTCvA . ---- The Friday following a compromise was
signed. In principle the strike is "suspended" and the job now was to resume Monday.
Tuesday, February 17, CEO Zagorowski is supposed to resign. For the rest, the claims are
far from having been reached on wages and working time. Unions threaten to resume motion
if the CEO does not resign.
The strike lasted nineteen days, with more than 5,000 strikers, and mining stopped.
All unions, even the most moderate, supported the movement Solidarność (close to the
conservative right), OPZZ (confederation close to social democracy), the FZZ (moderate
confederation), the free trade union Sierpień 80 (union combative, very established among
minors, it takes its name, "August 80", the broad social movement that shook the Stalinist
Poland in the summer of 1980 ), Kadra (MS unions), etc.
The strike began on 28 January when the CEO of JSW, Zagorowski Jaroslaw, dismissed nine
trade unionists Budryk mine for organizing a solidarity strike with the miners of another
company, KW [ 1 ] The CEO also suspended collective agreements signed two years ago. Among
the licensees, Krzysztof Labadz, a leader of Sierpień 80 and facilitators of a strike of
forty-six days in 2007-2008.
During the strike, a court has declared illegal and threatened the "leaders" (including
the 9 dismissed union) to make them pay for the loss of JSW, several million ... Union
president Sierpien 80, Boguslaw Zietek , told the Polish news agency: "We live in a
country of bandits, thieves and mafias, which are stronger than the government. »
Information collected by Jan Malewski.
Below, an appeal on February 12 by Sierpień 80. It was relayed by the international trade
union network of solidarity and struggle , whose members United, the CNT and CNT-SO-F.
CALL OF MINORS POLISH
Do not pull on the workers! Do not use state institutions against protesters!
On February 12, the court decided that the strike of thousands of coal miners in the
Company Jastrzebie (Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa, JSW), in southern Poland, is illegal. The
same day, the city was crossed by a demonstration of women and minor children, to support
their families in struggle.
Authorities stop at nothing to break the strike that lasted 16 days. Special police forces
sent against minors, tried to crush the protest with unspeakable brutality, without using
any pretext riot 37 mm guns with rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas. More than 20
miners were injured, some seriously. At the same time prosecutors have opened proceedings
against the organizers of the protest, threatening them with financial consequences of
losses of the company affected by the strike. Among the prosecuted there unionist
Krzysztof Labadz, one of the leaders of the strike Budryk mine, which lasted 46 days there
seven years.
The striking miners demanding the dismissal of the CEO of the Company, Jaroslaw Zagorski,
whose management has led the company to the brink. The government, though it has more than
half the shares of the company, does not yield. The miners and their families are
determined. They defend their jobs but also the rights to protest all Polish workers.
We call on trade unions and social organizations throughout Europe to support our struggle
and to send us letters of support. Only international solidarity, as in the case of
Greece, can roll back the dictates of neoliberal governing. Only together we can deal with
their anti-social offensive in Europe.
Boguslaw Zietek, president of WZZ Sierpień 80, February 12, 2015
[1] Kompania Weglowa, the largest mining company in Europe, wanted to close four mines and
firing minors. This strike was victorious with the support of the entire population, the 4
mines remain open and no layoffs, according to the agreement signed by the Government on
17 January 2015. The Government is committed to there is no repression against the
strikers and their supporters. He lied.
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Pologne-des-balles-en-caoutchouc
