1 rok temu
In November 2022, our trade union in Sii Poland, was established, and Krystian Kosowski was selected as its chairman. Shortly after the union was established our chairman wrote an email to his colleagues to encourage them to join newly created union and fighting together for better working conditions.
In response, the president of the company and the owner of the FC Polonia Warsaw, Grégoire Nitot, wrote to our leader a bizarre letter, in which he had declared that he do not want trade unions in his company (!). At the same time, he explained that the reason why he left France were, among other things, strong and influential trade unions, that make it difficult for employers to take decisions freely. In other words, Mr. Nitot not only expressed contempt for the legislation of his country, but also treated Poland as a part of third world where workers’ rights can be violated with impunity. It is a shocking expression of praise for lawlessness that is difficult for us to understand and even more so to accept.
Shortly afterwards, our chairman of the union at Sii was dismissed on disciplinary grounds. It was done in disregard to any procedures, without consulting the union, or recourse to any article of the Labour Code. The company’s authorities did not even try to conceal that the reason for the dismissal was his role in establishing a union and encouraging employees to join it. The dismissal of the chairman of the trade union, especially without the consulting the trade union in compliance with the law, is a brutal violation of the Trade Union Act. The company’s action is also a breach of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Pursuant to Art. 12 of the Polish Constitution “The Republic of Poland shall ensure freedom for the creation and functioning of trade unions”, and Art. 59 says that “freedom of association in trade unions (…) shall be ensured”.
Our trade union operates in many workplaces, both in private and public sector. We are a partner of the social dialogue at the various levels, such as individual companies, industries, or the whole country. We consider this aggression against our Union, not only as an attack on us, but also on the foundation of the Polish state and law.
Below there are three documents: the letter from the CEO of the company who sent it to both our union at Sii and headquarters; a disciplinary dismissal with no legal basis; and a letter from our leader to his colleagues in which he invites them to join the union, that was used by Sii as grounds for dismissal.
