A decision on a nationwide strike of employees from nearly all sectors affiliated with Solidarity (NSZZ) is expected in the coming days. Yet before that happens, individual groups have begun organizing on their own. Teachers have just launched a protest action in schools. Farmers are on strike in dozens of locations across the country. Industrial workers are preparing to come to Warsaw. Railway workers have also formed the Inter-Union Protest Committee. Accounts from representatives of these groups paint a clear picture: the government, despite repeated appeals, has no intention whatsoever of engaging in dialogue with them.
As Gazeta Polska Codziennie reported several months ago, the autumn was expected to be a time of protests against the policies of Donald Tusk’s government.
And indeed, several large demonstrations have already been organized, not only in Warsaw. However, everything indicates that the largest ones are still ahead. On 20 November, a meeting of the leadership of Solidarity (NSZZ) is scheduled, during which a decision is to be made on a nationwide strike of employees from nearly all sectors affiliated with the union. Unofficially, 13 December is being mentioned – this is when union members would take to the streets of Warsaw and other cities to protest against the direction set by the ruling coalition.
However, until then, individual groups do not intend to remain idle. The National Section of Education and Upbringing of Solidarity (NSZZ) has just begun its protest action. It will last at least the next month. “At this moment, our action consists of three elements. The most important is an information campaign. We want to reach every school and every teachers’ council in the country to discuss our demands and present solutions that will improve the quality of education. We want to engage teachers, as well as parents and guardians of students, in this discussion. Another important task is countering the disinformation recently spread by the Ministry of Education, for example regarding pay for overtime hours,” Dr. Waldemar Jakubowski, head of the education section of “S”, tells us.
“The second element is displaying flags on buildings, which is already visible in many places in Poland. The third will be pickets in front of regional school authorities and their branches. These will already be organized next week. On Monday, 24 November, a conference is planned in Warsaw at which we will present details regarding the demonstrations,” adds Dr. Jakubowski. He explained that the main demands of teachers include increasing funding for education and science, linking salaries to the state of the economy, and “real protection of dignity” for those employed in this sector.
This professional group is only one of many disappointed with the policies of those in power. Let us recall that on 4 November, a mass star-shaped march passed through Katowice, attended by miners, steelworkers, energy workers and other industrial employees. After the demonstration, they submitted a petition to the voivode, demanding, among other things, dialogue on a just transition for their sectors. Codzienna asked Artur Braszkiewicz, representative of the Inter-Union Protest and Strike Committee of the Silesia–Dąbrowa Region, how the authorities are responding to the needs of their community. “Two weeks have passed since our demonstration, and during that time no one from the government has bothered to respond in any way to our demands. We realize there was a long weekend, so we will wait until the end of this week. If there is no reaction from the authorities – we will decide on escalating our actions. We already have ideas prepared,” Artur Braszkiewicz told Gazeta Polska Codziennie.
It should also be noted that the farmers’ strike continues. At least until 14 December, tractors and agricultural machinery will take to municipal, county and regional roads to protest against the EU–Mercosur and EU–Ukraine agreements. “There is no reaction whatsoever from the government or the Ministry of Agriculture to the protests we have carried out recently. Complete silence. We have prepared an agreement with other agricultural organizations, we are waiting for everyone to sign it, and then we will present our demands to the authorities. After that, we will decide on further steps. We will certainly be at the major protest in Brussels on 18 December, where farmers from all over Europe are expected to gather,” says Tomasz Obszański, head of Solidarity (NSZZ) of Individual Farmers, in an interview with GPC.
Last week, the Inter-Union Protest Committee of Railway Workers was also established. In a special statement, they announced that the decision was made due to “the growing and dramatic problems of Polish railways, resulting from the complete rejection of social dialogue by the current authorities, as well as the increasing disregard for the voice of the railway community.” “We call on the government to immediately engage in real dialogue with the social side,” the railway workers demand.