Several weeks ago, one of Boleslawiec.org’s readers shared information that Bader was expanding its technology departments, while upholstery cutting was to be reduced in Bolesławiec and transferred to a newly built facility in Ukraine. As a result, more than 200 people could lose their jobs in Bolesławiec. We recently wrote that unemployed people registered with the District Labour Office in Bolesławiec did not want to sign up for free training at this German company. The reason for this may be Bader’s reputation among the residents of Bolesławiec.
One of the words appearing most frequently in our forum users’ comments is “exploitation.” Foremen are often compared to kapos, while the plant itself is compared to German labour camps. Readers write that the company’s employees cannot cope psychologically, that they earn very little, and that the working atmosphere is stressful. We wanted Grzegorz Menet, Bader’s director in Poland, to address both rumours of mass layoffs and the unfavourable comments. We tried to contact the director for three weeks. The secretary’s office kept putting us off, after which we were informed that the director would not comment.
(GA/KG report)