en) IWA External Bulletin #11 - ZSP Amazon Union Demands
Realistic Norms and Higher Wages
The struggle of the ZSP union in Amazon for decent working conditions continues. After
winning payments for scheduled work time which wasn't paid and other non-payments for many
agency workers and after the Manpower agency, which refused to pay was removed from
Amazon, it is now time for new issues. ---- Workers from ZSP in Amazon demand decent wages
and do not accept the new, raised productivity norms. Despite the promises of the
management, the hourly rate has not been raised and is still 13 zloties brutto in Sady.
The unionists from ZSP demand that this be raised to 16 zloties brutto - according to the
promises. And the same rates should apply in both the warehouses. ---- ZSP Amazon also is
against the raising of norms. For example, the norms in Pack were dramatically raised for
single packages (from 130 per hour to 200 per hour), multi (from 100 per hour to 180 per
hour) i large (from 80 per hour to 90). These unrealistic norms are unacceptable! We are
not drones! We demand to be treated like humans!
Another postulate which was already promised by
the management - but also without
implementation - is allowing the workers to get a
discount on things bought at the workplace, for
example, in the canteen.
ZSP Amazon
Goodbye Manpower!
The Manpower agency, which we have been in
conflict with, have lost their contract with Amazon.
We thank all the comrades who stood in solidarity
against the problems with this work agency.
We would like to point out that while most of the
Amazon workers' claims have been successfully
settled through the direct action campaign, ZSP
has had to bring two cases against Manpower to
court. We are still waiting for them to begin. One
involves a rather serious industrial accident, the
other compensation for time scheduled.
No to Exploitation on Public Money!
Action at Copernicus Science Center
On May 16, during the "Museum Night" annual
event, ZSP union picketed at the Copernicus
Science Center in Warsaw. The action brought
together two campaigns - against the use of
outsourcing, trash contracts and the subminimum
wage at public institutions and an organizing
campaign in the Ekotrade agency. Ekotrade is
known for its use of trash contracts and low
wages and is used by the Science Center.
Hundreds and hundreds of people were at the
event. We spoke to people about the situation
and handed out leaflets. The Center got very
nervous and called the police, who were intent on
stopping the action. Security and some event
organizers tried to intervene claiming that we
were not allowed to hand out leaflets on the
sidewalk, which we ignored and made people
more interested in what was happening. Despite
the harrassment, a few hundred leaflets were
given out.
The ZSP has been campaigning for the past year
against the use of trash contracts and the
subminimum wage in public institutions. We
fought successfully with the Impuls agency and
many of their contracts were terminated. Our
postulate is that public institutions either hire
people directly or, if they do use outside
companies, that the entity making a public tender
should make workers' rights a requirement. Only
firms which give proper contracts and pay at least
the minimum wage should be used. These
postulates have been gaining support.
IWA External Bulletin May 2015 p7
Despite the fact that the ZSP's postulates would be
a good solution and even has some political
support, some members of government pretend
that such provisions cannot be put in a public
tender. This is not true and a few days ago we saw
the first example of how this could be applied in
practice. ZTM, which runs public bus transport in
Warsaw, holds tenders for various bus routes. It
has now announced that workers' rights must be
respected and it will put several conditions in the
tender. One of them requires the bus companies
to give the drivers work contracts.
The local ZSP welcomes the initiative of the ZTM,
which should be an example for other institutions.
When justifying their decisions to make these
requirements, they recalled the wildcat strike of 32
Ukrainian bus drivers in 2008. It was ZSP which
had contacted them about their working
conditions, documented the problems, publicized
the case and helped the drivers get their payment.
It has taken years for any action to be taken
against the companies which the city uses and
which exploit their workers. We are hoping that by
focusing more public attention of the concrete
cases of abuse that something will begin to shift.
We invite the agency workers to join us!
Stop Repression for Union Activity!
Black Red White (BRW) is a large furniture
manufacturer with around 11,000 employees in
Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Slovakia and
Bosnia Hercogovina. Its furniture is sold in about
1000 locations in Poland but also in all of Eastern
Europe, some Western European countries, the US
and Canada. It's owner, Tadeusz Chmiel, is one of
the richest men in Poland, whose wealth was estimated
at 1.65 billion zloties (half a billion euros).
A member of ZSP has been on trial for a few
months now, under article 212 of the criminal
code, which is so-called "slander which causes a
loss of the trust needed to conduct business
activity". Without any comments as to this law,
which can be abused in many ways, our comrade is
not guilty since we did not slander anybody. We
made protests against the furniture giant because
of its repressions against a comrade unionist.
In July 2013, ZSP called for solidarity actions at
BRW furniture outlets after the dismissal of Jarek
P. from the Furniture Makers' Union at the Nidzica
factory. JP received a disciplinary dismissal after
the publication of an article in the newspaper
describing an incident at the factory. JP, as a
unionist, tried to fight for the workers' rights. He
was fired for "violating the good name" of the
company and "revealing secrets".
The ZSP had contact with other workers in the
factory and knew that the incident he described
was true and knew that the local labour
inspectorate also ignored his unions' reports
(something that happens all too often). We
consider such actions of BRW to constitute
retalliation against a unionist for simply saying
what took place at the factory. And we consider
such actions and every concept which legitimizes
them to be attacks on workers' organization and
freedom of speech and conscience. Therefore we
decided to picket BRW furniture outlets around
Poland. On the first day, actions took place in
Wroclaw and Rzeszow. But BRW decided to make a
deal with JP, who was going to take the company
to court to get his job back.
BRW asked the Economic Crimes Division of the
Prosecutor's Office to get after us. They declined
to prosecute, but the company did not give up and
eventually a case was made against one comrade.
The trial has been going on for a while. At the last
hearing in April, four former employees testified to
various health and safety violations, circumvention
of the labor law and to harrassment of unionists.
More information: zsp.net.pl
https://libcom.org/files/IWA_external_bulletin,_no.11_May_2015.pdf
