The Inter-Company Organization of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” of Education and Upbringing Workers in Bolesławiec claims that the chair of the County Council and the Starosta are disregarding problems affecting residents.
A letter from education-sector Solidarity, containing various reservations about the work of some school principals and issues involving improper teacher dismissals, was submitted for the September session of the County Council.
“Among other things, we were concerned about the high amounts of compensation paid by the principals, that is, by the County Office. If there had been no court proceedings, this money could have been allocated to another purpose,” says Agata Markowska, chair of Solidarity in Bolesławiec.
In response to the union’s inquiries, the chair of the Bolesławiec County Council, in a letter dated October 29, forwarded a letter from the Starosta of Bolesławiec Dariusz Kwaśniewski, which, according to Agata Markowska, contained no substantive answers. In the opinion of the union’s board, the Starosta’s explanations have no legal basis and are therefore unreliable.
On October 30, before another session of the County Council, union members sent a further letter to all councillors of Bolesławiec County. It contained legal interpretations of the issues raised, supported by an education expert’s opinion and a letter from the Education Inspectorate in Wrocław.
Although these letters were addressed personally to the councillors and submitted to the County Council office, they had not been delivered to the recipients by November 13. At the November 13 session, a question was raised about why the letters had not been forwarded. There was no substantive answer.
“The Starosta promotes the county as a ‘friendly and safe home’? We do not want such a home! The trade union is apolitical and safeguards workers’ rights—the rights of residents, people living in the county who struggle with the difficulties of everyday life. And we expect reliability, which is guaranteed to us by the Constitution, rather than avoiding ‘uncomfortable topics,’” says Agata Markowska.
We presented the union members’ allegations to the County Office’s press spokesperson, Katarzyna Biegasiewicz-Mularczyk. Here is the explanation we received:
Those responsible for education in Bolesławiec County have always been and remain open to dialogue with all institutions and organizations, particularly with trade unions representing teachers. The Starosta of Bolesławiec will promptly meet with representatives of the Inter-Company Commission of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union Solidarity of Education and Upbringing Workers in Bolesławiec to discuss the problems raised.
We will return to this matter.