Protest march of former workers of "Jedynka"
Wednesday, 26.05.2004, 17:18 /pap-polish press agency/

On Monday former workers of "Jedynka" company from Wroclaw finished a protest march in Wroclaw against the company's management that didn't allow to have a judicial agreement with then last week.
According to the agreement of former workers with the management of the company 168 were to leave the company due to mutual agreement. All of them were to receive 7.200 zlotys of rebuff. The judicial agreement was to be a complement of agreement and to contain among others details about leaving the company by the dissmissed.

Bottom Silesia Voivode Stanislaw Lopatowski told PAP: "I will personally demand the "Jedynka"'s management to arise from obligations that were signed up among others in my presence". He added that if there still are no money for salaries for workers - as the management claims - then at least the disciplinary dissmissal can be changed into a mutual agreement dissmisal to let those people have a right for a social allowance.

Chief of plant's "Solidarity" in "Jedynka" Zbigniew Rudnik told the journalists that he gives the officials a week for a settlement of matters.

The conflict in the building company "Jedynka" of Wroclaw began in the beginning of the year with an one-day strike of 140 workers who demanded a payment of unaccomplished payments. In the beginnig of March they were disciplinarily dissmised from work fro that.

 

"Jedynka"'s Workers' protest in Warsaw
Saturday, 24.04.2004, 20:17 /tvp3/

On Friday tens of workers of "Jedynka" from Wroclaw organized a protest in front of the 14th National Investment Fund in Warsaw, which is one of the owners of the company. As they said they came to the capital to "stigmatize criminal behaviours towards workers"�
The conflict began in the beginning of year with a one-day strike of 145 workers, who demanded to be payed their unaccomplished salaries. In the beginning of march they were disciplinarily dissmissed for that and then they had begun an occupation of the company's building. After a month they were brutally removed from the building by the guards who were hired by the company's management. At present they are negotiating with their employer about the agreement about eg. conditions of rebuffs.

 

Striking workers besiege guards
Sunday, 28.03.2004, 13:27, /pap-polish press agency/

Workers from the Wroclaw's company "Jedynka", who were formerly violently removed from the company's building are now barridacing the entrance to the company's building from outside. The main entrance is barricaded with concrete flower-beds. Thus the workers are detaining some of the guards and one of the company's managers.

The operation of removing the workers of "Jedynka Wroclawska", who were protesting for 3 weeks, took place on 4 a.m.

The men were removed by the guards from the company hired by "Jedynka"'s bosses. Three protesters were harmed. Two of them already left the hospital, one has his ribs broken, the other one has general injuries. The third protester had a chest trauma and is still in Wroclaw's railway hospital.
The removed workers didn't give the protest up. "We are builders and those don't give up so fast!" - chief of the plant's "Solidarity" trade union Zbigniew Rudnik said.

Currently protesters are barricading the entrances to the company. Groups of several men are surrounding the buildnig. The main entrance is barricaded by concrete flower-beds, that were standing in front of the nearby Municipal Office of Wroclaw. The men are even keeping the hatches to the buildnig's basement watching.

"We won't let the manager off, but we know he is a very crafty man. He tried to escape through the roof to the buildnig in the neighbourhood. The people living there informed us about that. We keep all exits watching, even those of the house next to this building" - Rudnik added.
"He tried to escape like a rat!" - other men shouted.

There are several police cars around the building.

But the protesters aren't completely sure if the company's manager is still inside company's building.
"We released some of the guards for sure, but only them. We hope that the company's manager is still inside" - one of the protesters said.

Workers from "Jedynksa Wroclawska" promised that they won't give the protest up. They say that they will be striking in front of the company's building if they have to.
"Let the whole Poland see how human beings are being treated" - men say.
The occupation strike in defense of 145 dismissed people started on 3 march and 200 workers of "Jedynka" take part in it. Initially, the management didn't have time for meeting with the protesters, because most of the managers were in Iraq, where they were signing the cotracts for buildnig the housing estates.

President of the company Krzysztof Baszniak met with the members of the trade unions just on the previous Wednesday. The president proposed the protesters 600 thousand zlotys for share and leaving the company. Baszniak not only demands 145 dismissed to leave, but also dismissing 60 of those supporting the already dismissed. However, members of trade unions demanded to bring those dismissed back to work. They agreed for optional collective dismissals, but only after mutual agreement and paying every worker 9 rebuffs. So the negotiations stuck in deadlock.

Brutal attack on protesters
Sunday, 28.03.2004, 13:11, /www.poprostu.pl/

Tonight the striking workforce of "Jedynka Wroclawska" was brutally assaulted by guards hired by the company's management.

About 3 a.m. guards burst into the building of the company. Members of trade unions claim that they were attacked, the guards forced in doors, knocked out shafts. A fight arose in the building, in which result two of the protesters got into the hospital with serious injuries (broken ribs).
At present there is a demonstration in front of the "Jedynka"'s building. Members of trade unions are keeping a close watch on the exits not to let the documents important for them out of the building. The company's bosses asked the police to remove the protesters by force. The company's spokesman in his statement for Radio Wroclaw said that the protesters were occupying another person's property and they had to reckon with that kind of reaction.

Our commentary:
The president is still asleep
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When the journalists telephoned the president of "Jedynka Wroclawska" company - Krzysztof Baszniak asking about the beaten people's fate, he said that it is too early in the mornig and he is still sleeping. Andrzej Polaczkiewicz, spokesman of "Jedynka" was to qualify the guards' action as a ordinary procedure of mutual aid. Therefore, as an act of mutual aid, two people had their ribs broken.
Workers of "Jedynka" are victims of geopolitics that does not let them sew the company's authorities for breaking the law. Since "Jedynka" won the already legendary contract in Iraq, its authorities are in a way inviolable. But the "Jedynka"'s management should remember that almost always when the workers of Poland shouted about thiefs they were right, what was later confirmed by independent courts. Slumber of the president can be in danger very soon.

 

Builders fight!
Monday, 29.03.2004, 18:24, /www.pl.indymedia.org/

About 100 people (from 160 fired) and several Wroclaw's inhabitants are now in front of the company. One of the company's managers Grzegorz Walenciak, who in the moring came there with 60 guards from company ZECO from Lubin is still inside the building, the guards came there to remove the prostesters using force (at night about 40 people are there usually). There is a suspicion that he will try to carry very important documents and stamps out, that he needs for finalising the contracts in Iraq, that is why workers are blocking all the exits. Members of "Solidarity" from region annouced to come tomorrow. Solidarity action is planned for 8 a.m.

One of the harmed workers is still in hospital under observation. He has a chest bone broken and he needs a specialist apparatus to aid breathing. The other two harmed men were sent home after giving them a basic help.

Food Not Bombs action (distributing free, hot food) took place at 3 p.m. and it was prepared by the Wroclaw's squatters. Members of trade unions from Municipal Communication Enterprise put the bus for the protesters to warm up.

At 9 p.m. 6 guards were let out of the building and they were escorted by the police to their cars.
The action in front of "Jedynka" will probalbly take place during all night. There is a lot of police around the building - both in uniforms, and those in plain clothes. Andrzej Polaczkiewicz, company's spokesman, in his conversations with the journalists unceasingly demands police's intervention, and says that the workers' protest is a scandal.

As Polish Press Agency PAP says, "Jedynka"'s president Krzysztof Baszniak has an interesting past. He's a former minister in Waldemar Pawlak's government. He was dismissed after hitting a news photographer of "Super Express" with a briefcase in 1995. The journalist wanted to make a photograph of Baszniak when the newspaper disclosed that there is an investigation for fooling against Baszniak. In 1997 he was sentenced for 5 thousand zlotys fine for an attack on the journalist. He was also recognised for hitting the news photographer with a briefcase, who was also forced by that to stop the press publication.

Demonstration in Wrocław
Thursday, 25.03.2004, 22:52, /radiozet/

About 500 people were demonstrating in front of the "Jedynka Wroclawska"'s building. Those people were protesting against the disciplinary dismissals of 145 workers, who organised a one-day protest in the end of January.

Today's demonstration was accompanied by members of "Solidarity" trade union from all over the country, among others Silesia province, Gorzow and Szczecin. The demonstration was peaceful. No one from the company's management didn't come out to the protesters.

It's the 23rd day of protest against the dismissals. To this time both sides of the conflict didn't come to agreement. During yesterday's talks the company proposed that they will pay 3 thousand zlotys to every dismissed worker, but the protesters didn't accept that and tore the negotiations off.
As the supervisor of plant's "Soldarity" said, the workforce depends on that the dismissed people will get a rebuff equal to 9 regular salaries. The average salaries of "Jedynka"'s worker is from 800 to 1000 zlotys (200 $ to 250 $).