Employees considering voluntary departure from the Polish Post (Poczta Polska) have received an unusual suggestion: to head behind a store counter — specifically at Żabka, a well-known convenience store chain. According to trade union representatives, this raises concerns about wasted expertise and overt support for a particular private business. Adding to the controversy, Żabka Group is a sponsor of Campus Polska Przyszłości, an annual event associated with the politician Rafał Trzaskowski.
Major Job Cuts Announced
Ever since December 13, when new government appointees took over the supervision of state-owned companies, reports have surfaced about looming layoffs at several enterprises. Among the firms most frequently mentioned are PKP Cargo and Poczta Polska.
In the case of the Polish Post, as many as 8,500 jobs could be cut in 2025. The company’s management has informed the trade unions of plans to conduct group layoffs. As part of the Voluntary Departure Program, the Polish Post is offering severance packages equivalent to three months’ salary plus compensation equal to nine months’ pay.
From Mail Sorting to Store Franchise?
News portal tokfm.pl obtained documents suggesting that employees who choose to exit the Polish Post can immediately invest their severance pay in opening a Żabka franchise. The store chain confirmed the arrangement, explaining that it had shared “publicly available materials on our standard offer under the Safe Start Program (Program Bezpieczny Start) so that any Polish Post employee can assess their readiness to run an FMCG business.”
Trade unions at the Polish Post have expressed their dismay at the development.
“Well-trained people who know their job could continue to work in an area they’re already familiar with. It’s quite strange. We’re suggesting to our employees to open a Żabka instead of supporting the Polish Post in other capacities, such as becoming postal agents,”
— said Robert Czyż of the Polish Post Employees’ Trade Union.
He adds that the Polish Post is, paradoxically, still seeking postal agents.
“It’s bizarre that the employer is simultaneously laying off staff and hiring. Just in the first two weeks of this year, the company posted 270 job openings,”
— Czyż notes.
Ties to Campus Polska Przyszłości
Social media users quickly picked up on another layer of controversy: Żabka Group is one of the sponsors of Campus Polska Przyszłości, an event organized by Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska) and fronted by Rafał Trzaskowski. This political link has fueled debate over whether the Polish Post’s severance strategy is indirectly promoting a private sponsor of a politically charged event.
For now, thousands of Polish Post employees face uncertainty. The proposed option to become a Żabka franchisee may appeal to some as a new start, but union leaders and critics argue the plan could undermine the long-term interests of both workers and the state-owned postal service they know so well.