Interview for “Abolishing the Borders from Below” (ABB) with Bartek Kantorczyk – Initiator of Massive Wildcat Strike in Polish Post in 2006, right now repressed and fired Anarchist Postman

ABB: Hello. In winter 2006 we reported in AbolishingBB about the confrontation between the workers and the management in the Polish Post Office. In this confrontation you played a very important role, did you not? Tell us please what your situation right nów is.

Auchan is a hipermarkets' network, established by the beginning of 60s by the Mulliez family in France. Today, it's the big international syndicate with the French capital, which is running in all the three continents of the Old World. In Poland, it works from 1996 and has 23 hipermarkets in large cities as well as 2 logistical centers in Wałbrzych and in Grójec. According to the official data, it is employing 9000 workers, yet the real number is much bigger for the basic workforce consists largely of persons hired from Temporary Work Agencies, and some sections (securitas, housework etc.) are fully or partially operated by firms from the outside. Additionally, hipermarkets in Zielona Góra, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Racibórz are administered by the company Schiever Poland, which has granted 50 percent of the profits and which is in fact the employer of the personnel. So the official number of the Auchan's workers in Poland is much smaller than that real.

In July several actions took place in Poland and in other European countries. They were a reaction to the dismissal of Bartosz Kantorczyk - Workers' Initiative activist in the Polish Post Office.

On 16 July in the morning a solidarity rally took place in front of the headquarters of Polish Post Office in Gdansk, where Bartosz worked. Around 30 post workers, WI activists from Gdansk, anarchists, leftists and friends of Bartosz gathered. The dismissed worker also came there and he was wearing a t-shirt saying "Dismissed but still inconvenient". The other demonstrators held banners saying "Hands off Workers' Initiative Trade Union", "Stop repression for strikes!". There were shouting slogans "No exploitation at life's expense!", "Managers go to work for 1000 zlotys (300 euro)", etc.

Workers of the AUCHAN mall reveal cases of serious workers' rights violation. In reality a shift in the mall lasts from 16 up to 20 hours per day. Workers who don't want to subordinate are threatened with dismissals.

AUCHAN, the French giant, has opened its first mall in Kiev at the end of March 2008. At 15 thousand square metres of the surface over 500 workers were employed. However, the European logo of the company didn't mean European working conditions by no means - claim the employed.

Bartosz Kantorczyk, the member of The Workers' Initiative Trade Union in Gdans and the initiator of postmen strike in November 2006, was unlawfully dismissed. The unionist had demanded improvement of job security in accordance with the law and had denounced violations of the workers' rights by the management of the Polish Post.

Improving the job security of postmen delivering postal money orders was one of Workers' Initiative demands. Till now the employer didn't undertake negotiations with the union, which is unlawful. The management of the Polish Post is continuously questioning the existence and activity of the Workers' Initiative in the company, thereby break the Trade Unions Act.