„Attack on our jobs.” Trade unionists speak out

Mikosz: Polish Post has reached the brink of TVN24

The Board of the Polish Post Office has put a hold on the voluntary redundancy and group layoff scheme, while also implementing new wage regulations. Union representatives claim that these changes strip employees of their former entitlements. The Polish Post Office Employees’ Solidarity has declared the continuation of the „occupation protest” at the company’s headquarters.

On March 4, the Management Board of Poczta Polska approved resolutions regarding the introduction of the new Remuneration Regulations. They also announced a temporary suspension of the Voluntary Leave and Group Layoff Program currently in place within the organization.

Poczta noted that the Voluntary Redundancy Program, which commenced in January, included roughly five thousand employees, with around 90 percent accepting the offer according to the company, while the remainder will be subject to group layoffs. Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, decisions regarding potential further „employment optimization” will be made in the fall of this year following assessments of the financial situation and the ability to maintain operational continuity, the company stated.

New wage regulations

Monday, March 3, marked the deadline for unions to present their stance on the proposed new Remuneration Regulations. The postal service highlighted that six of the nearly 100 unions functioning within the company submitted their positions, including two so-called representative unions. These unions—Solidarity and the Postal Workers’ Union—indicated their disapproval of the proposed regulations, yet expressed their willingness to continue discussions regarding the labor agreement under specific conditions.

According to the law, the submission of distinct positions by two representative organizations allowed the management board to announce the Remuneration Regulations on Wednesday, which have been formally effective since March 1, as per Poczta Polska’s notification.

The company stressed that all employees will receive their March salaries at a minimum equal to those of February, and none of those working in the newly established shifts will incur any losses.

Group change notifications

Alongside the resolution to adopt the new wage regulations, the management board of Poczta Polska has opted to initiate Group Amendment Notices, which—according to the company—are essential to amend the current remuneration conditions due to the company’s extensive scale.

– The process of altering notices may provoke significant emotions, but its sole aim is to amend the terms outlined in our employees’ contracts. It is unrelated to reducing employment. It is merely a procedural necessity—emphasized Joanna Drozd, vice president of Poczta for human resources, as quoted in the company’s information.

„Assault on our jobs and the future of Poczta Polska”

„We perceive this action as an unprecedented assault on our jobs and the future of Poczta Polska SA, the national postal operator,” stated the Polish Post Employees’ Solidarity on Facebook.

It added that for this reason, they opted to „continue the occupation protest” and to carry out „other protest actions” concurrently, although specific actions were not detailed.

Since February 12, Pocztowa „S” has been persistently occupying the conference room at the headquarters of the Polish Post, where she is conducting an „occupation protest”.

According to „S”, the management is „manipulating and overlooking the social aspect, entirely disregarding” the union’s demands. This, they claim, will lead to, among other issues, decreased employee earnings, job eliminations, and increased employee responsibilities.

The unionists accuse the management of „deliberately undermining the company and creating conditions for its marginalization or even liquidation.” „Solidarity” aims to remain at the company’s headquarters and continue their protest until their concerns are acknowledged by „the owner, the Government of the Republic of Poland, and a genuine dialogue with the employer is initiated.” „We will not relent until we secure guarantees of employment stability and equitable remuneration,” the union declared.

Polish Post’s transformation strategy

At the close of February, the Collective Labour Agreement, terminated by the management board of Poczta over six months ago, ceased to be in effect. Despite 11 meetings with the union representatives, the negotiation team has been unable to reach a consensus regarding this matter—Poczta emphasized. In the latter half of the year, we aim to resume discussions on the Collective Labour Agreement—stated vice-president Drozd.

The Management Board of Poczta Polska is presently executing a transformation strategy for the company

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