Slajd 1

1

Social Dialogue and organising workers in
Commerce Sector in Poland
Department of Development Union National
Commission of The Independent and
Self-Governing Trade Union Solidarnosc
Gdansk June 2011
2
Union density NSZZ S in 1991 - 2010
year 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 VI 2010
members 2 286 720 1 634 309 1 634 309 1 422 764 1 312 050 1 233 209 1 184 959 1 113 440 1 075 045 973 572 910 398 800 906 759 336 730 979 721 856 690 042 685 329 679 975 667 572 648 868
organizations   16 709 15 367 12 437 12 437 13 691 13 271 12 822 12 668 12079 11570 10522 9 950 9 392 9 114 8 706 8 637 8 646 8 445 8 292
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Approximate employment in the biggest chain of
stores
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Commerce sector in Poland nowadays
Company S Other union Agreement shops workers members
Tesco v v v 400 30000 2700
Carrefour v - v 350 27000 900
Biedronka v v 1700 33000 900
Real v v 60 13500 2300
Auchan v - 20 10000 120
Makro v - 31 9000 350
Kaufland v - v 145 12000 1100
Lidl - - 300 6000 -
Ikea - - 8 4300 -
Decathlon V - 20 1400 70
E. Leclerc - - 20 3000 -
Sum 3064 159200 8640
Union density 6
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Political decision level on organizinig
priority in daily life of trade union

• Organization in company it depends on power
  organization (membership). Strong union (mining,
  metallurgy) focus on negotiations. Weak
  organization (commerce, security sector) focus on
  organizing
• Medium priority
• Regions decisions are very diversyfied. Every
  each of 34 Regions has development coordinator,
  but some Regions hasnt yet union organizers (in
  total 40)
• Medium priority
• National Commission Executive Board (Presidium)
  defines union development as priority. Department
  of Development Union has opereted since 1998
  (staff of 16), but we need to fashion new model
  and proffesionalization
• Medium priority

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Implementation organizaing campaigns target,
who and how

• Practical cases
• Coca-Cola near Warsaw
• Team 2 coordinators from N.C., 2 organizers from
  Region Mazowsze, union reps from Coca-Cola, reps
  Food Workers Secretariat
• Kaufland (all Poland)
• Team organizers from Regions coordinators from
  N.C. union reps from Kaufland
• Regional companies
• Organizers from Regions coordinator from N.C.
• Companies are sellected according to reaserch the
  market and development strategy. Multilevel
  organizing campaigns and this one depend on
  company size and their attitude to union.

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Building new organizations and organizing new
members in existing organizations

• New organizations organizing campaigns
• Establishing contacts with employees (phone
  numbers, adress, e-mails)
• Meetings with workers 1 on 1 and group
• Collecting problems
• Identyfing laeders
• Meetings and training leaders
• Leaders and organizing team organize workers
  around the problems (sign up union cards)
  build-up the union
• Registration union and negotiations
• Agreement
• Promotion union parallel organizing camapign
  (discount cards Grosik) and publicize campaign
  in media
• Existing organizations
• Mostly by the training for leaders (training
  how to organize workers)
• Next leaders recruit new members in company
  monitoring action by Region and N.C.
• however existing organizations in commerce
  sector cooperation trade union structures
  national, regional, commerce section and
  organization from companies

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Specific ways to attrac young workers in trade
union?

• Organizing campaigns in sectors, when mostly
  young people work (commerce, banks, services)
• Cooperation S and Independent Students
  Association work on agreement going on
• Social campaigns and media changing image
• Tools, which are used by young people (internet
  tv, facebook, twitter)
• Demonstration and pickets are colourful and they
  take on the character of happening. Concerts,
  less bovvers and fairing tires
• Youth coordinator conferences and work meetings

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Major obstacles / challenges to organizing

• Challenges
• Actual union actions around the priority -
  development
• Concrete budget and personal decisions
• Professionalization of development actions
  (analysis, education, organizing, trainings,
  promotion everything support by marketing
  strategy)

• Obstacles
• Union priorities awareness of leaders
• Posibilities budget and staff
• Antyunion Goverment, Employers and media policy

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Success storyWorkers organising campaignin
Kaufland Polska Markety PLCAction time February
December 2010

• Why Kaufland?
• Along with 5 other companies it owns majority
  sharesin market of commerce sector, because of
  that it has impact on working conditions in the
  whole branch
• Non-union workplace
• Problems of workers
• Aim
• To make an agreement concerning improvement of
  working conditions and possibility for Trade
  Union to have easy accsess to the workers

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Elements of campaign

• 1st Phase Choosing places for organising
• action time till 21st February 2010
• Kaufland Stores in in Chorzów (2), Ruda Slaska
  (1), Wroclaw (2)
• 2nd Phase Forming large-scale base
• action time from 22nd February 2010 to 7st May
  2010
• Conducts one-on-one organizing (collecting phone
  numbers, e-mails, address)
• 1 on 1 mtgs
• Identyfying problems
• Identyfying leaders
• Leaders mtgs
• Signing people up union cards -
• Trade union organisation on enterprise level was
  registered
• 3rd Phase An escalation, social campaign
• action time 8.V. 6.VI.2010
• A petition concerning workplace issues and the
  free right to join union is delivered to the
  management
• A petition is given by Regional Offices of
  Solidarnosc to store directors
• Handing out leaflets to customers in front of the
  stores

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Elements of campaign

• 4th Phase Crisis creating
• action time 7.VI. 25.VI.2010
• Pickets in front of the stores in Wroclaw, Ruda
  Slaska
• 5th Phase Reaching the agreement
• Negotation agreement - meeting protocol
• July 2010 Kaufland company backed out of part
  of agreement concerning free union access to
  employees
• Creating a new plan concernig Kaufland logistic
  center in Piotrków Trybunalski as a "place
  responsive" to workers protests because of chain
  delivery system.

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Elements of campaign

• 6th Phase Forming large-scale base
• action time 6.IX 10.X.2010
• Conducts one-on-one organizing, Workplace issues,
  Recruiting leaders, Signing people up union
  declaration
• 7th Phase Escalation
• action time 11.X 14.XI.2010
• A petition concerning workplace issues and the
  free right to join union is delivered to the
  management
• A petition is given by Regional Offices of
  Solidarnosc to store directors logistic centre
  director
• Handing out leaflets to customers in front of the
  stores

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Elements of campaign

• 8th Phase crisis creating
• action time 15.XI 26.XII.2010
• Pickets in front of the logistic centre in
  Piotrków Trybunalski
• Pickets in front of the stores in Wroclaw (2
  stores), Piaseczno, Pila
• Cash-desks blocked in Ruda Slaska store
• Preparation for Berlins picket in cooperation
  with Ver.di
• 9th Phase Reaching the agreement
• Negotation agreement - meeting protocol

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The agreement
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web site Smiling Cashier

• 27.05.2010

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The solutionsmiling cashier appeals to customers

• Run of the campaign

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Issued appeal5 problems

1. low wages
2. Lack of interest in sincere dialogue
3. Bad treating (insults..)
4. Bad safety at work (too high workload)
5. Lack of facilitaties concerning combining of
   private and working life

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A signature on web site one click
Click Help
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We share information about working condition on
Facebook
Like it!
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We encourage market/supermarket workers to join
Join us
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Challenges

• Organizing workers building power Union
• Ostensible dialogue ? constructive conversation
  with employers
• Begining colective bargaining in some companies
• Employment stability (rotation 25-100)
• Access to workers agreements
• Middle-term plan Project Biedronka, Carrefour
• Destination target sectoral colective agreement
  (key companies)

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conclusion

• In Europe
• we all have the same employers (multicompanies)
  in our countries
• If we want to win agreements for workers
• We need to cooperate to build up the union power
• contact
• www.solidarnosc.org.pl
• kacper_stachowski_at_solidarnosc.org.pl