"We want to work, not to starve!", "Workers of sugar factory dumped onto pavement by a German!" - said the slogans on the banners kept by the workers of sugar factory of Przeworsk, who were protesting on Thursday against planned closure of their plant.

The Germans assured us that they will find the investors, who will take the plant's property over and will hire fired people. Now they are pulling out of that! It's a fraud!" - the workers shouted. They demanded from the german corcern Suedzucker to stop the planned dismissals of workers and also to undertake one more sugar campaign. Two years ago the Germans, who were taking the factory over said that they will undertake two or three campaigns in Przeworsk. According to what members of trade unions say, since Suedzucker didn't fulfill their promises, they should now postpone the time of closure of the plant.

On Wednesday the trial of six workers of the McDonald's restaurant in Swidnica (North Silesia) has begun in the local court.

The former manager of the restaurant was accused of appropriation of 35 thousand zlotys and five of his employees (women) were accused of helping him in the crime. They can be punished from three months to 5 years of imprisonment.

The accused claim that they are innocent and that all the case is a revenge of the McDonald's management because of setting up the first trade union in these restarants' net.

On Monday two of railway unionists in Bialystok began a hunger strike as a protest against the plans of association the Podlasie Province's Plant of Regional Transports with the Mazovia province's one.
"We are afraid of the dissmissals connected with that" - one of the protesters, chairman of raliway "Solidarity" in Bialystok Jerzy Grodzki said.

Grodzki emphasized that the plans of association are a sudden and a suprising decision of the PKP's (Polish National Railways) management. According to him the association of two of the regional transoprts plants can lead to a loss of 50 workplaces in PKP in Podlasie province.

Thursday, 22.07.2004, 16:49, /polish press agency/
"Jedynka" from Wroclaw lost in court

Wroclaw's court stated that building enterprise "Jedynka Wroclawska" dissmissed 136 workers contrary to the regulations of law. The court adjudged settlements for the dissmissed.

135 former workers of the company are to get settlements equal to three salaries. This means sums from 3 thousand zlotys to 5 thousand. One worker was brought back to work by the court.

The dispute between workers and the company's management began in January. After one-day protest more that 100 workers were disciplinarily dissmissed. They decided to continue the protest and to occupate the company's base. In the end of March they were removed by force from the company's building by the guard company hired by "Jedynka"'s management. They were protestnig in front of the company's base till the end of May. During that time negotiations with the management were taking place. Trials during which compromise was to be reached were fixed several times.

Rebellion of Avon's women
Monday, 21.06.2004, 17:55, /pap-polish press agency/

"Gazeta Wyborcza" (polish daily newspaper): Since ten years the power of Avon on direct sell market has been built by women. Today five of them sue the company.
For the first time someone from 500 thousand people working in this trade wants to be conceded as a worker not as an independent enterprener.

Katarzyna Swidzinska from Lublin is 36, has a housing loan to pay and sedative medicines next to her. In 1995 she was a young mother on maternity leave. Earlier in administration of Municipal Utility of Refining she was writing out drivers cards, she was serving coffee. But then she was reduced. Then a friend of hers got her into Avon. She was quickly promoted for a regional manager of trade (so-called OKS). "My friend got me into it. Cosmetics open a lot of doors, they are a great souvenir for doctors, officials. I phoned all my friends, after few weeks I was promoted for a coordinator. I was selling and recruiting new girls. They noticed me. I became an OKS in Lublin, one of 200 of them in Poland" - the daily writes.

Amendment of polish law of work favourable for the employers that was enforced in 2003 paramountly changed the situation of trade unions in Poland - International Confederation of Free Trade Unions estimates.

According to the report of the confederation in consequence of a change in safety of road traffic law a right to strike has been limited. "An organization of a legal demonstration by trade unions is now almost impossible" - it was written in the document.

There have been a loud discussion about the law about workers' boards lately. The law is to be introduced in all enterprises that employ more than 20 wokers.

The law will come into effect in 2005 and is a consequence of the adaptation of polish law regulations to EU's standards. But employers come out against the law and also� probably trade unions that are afraid that the law will cause further fall of their importance in their plants. In Poland, only 14 % of workers belong to trade unions.

- What is the situation of a plant belonging to the a world leading manufacturer of sweets and breakfast cereal?

We don't know what are the plans of the owner. As far as we can tell, there is a constant drop in production, despite the declarations that nobody intends to close down our enterprise.

But since the privatization in 1994 about 2000 people have lost their jobs. At this time, only about 700 people still work in the factory. The "voluntary departure program" has been launched. In the preceding months about 109 workers quit, even though the board planned to cut only 79 jobs. Another 50 people are waiting in the line. Our plants in Leszno and Sulechow have been liquidated, and only a plant in Kargowa remains. About 150 people has to commute to Poznan from Leszno (about 70 km).

Nestle is one of the biggest food producers in the world consisting of 452 factories (326 in Gwam network). More than 90% of these are outside Switzerland. A total of corporation's trade (209 billions Swiss franks) is much bigger than Polish budget. Nestle employs about 90.000 people, 2370 in Poland. The company appeared in Poland in 1993. In the first year of its work Nestle's trade reached a total sum of 8 million zloty. In 2003 the trade rose to almost 1 billion 400 million zloty. At the same time, over the past few years, Nestle fired thousands of workers in Poland. For example in Goplana factory in Poznań two thousand people have lost their jobs, as well as in Winiary factory in Koszalin. In Kobylnica two hundred people were fired. There are information that Nestle, before year 2006, wants to withdraw from production in Poland, but it will keep the position of dominant distributor. There are suspicions that Goplana factory in Poznań will be the first one forced to close.