As emphasized by Janusz Filipiuk, president of the management board, and Marek Miszczak, managing director of plastics packaging at Gerresheimer Bolesławiec, all the trade unions operating at the Bolesławiec company took part in the negotiations: the Gerresheimer Bolesławiec Employees’ Union, the Association of Engineers and Technicians, and NSZZ Solidarność, as well as representatives of the Works Council.
What will the raises be?
Employees producing glass packaging will receive an additional PLN 300 gross shift allowance for working in a four-shift system. Employees in the plastics department will receive a PLN 300 gross attendance bonus. (A team has been appointed to develop the rules for awarding it.)
Moreover, from July 1, 2019, employees in both departments will receive PLN 100 gross more in their base salary. They will also have the chance to receive another PLN 100. However, this will depend on how regularly they attend work.
What will the minimum salary be?
After the raises, the minimum gross salary at the plant will be PLN 3,400–3,500 gross.
What about the collective dispute?
Work is underway to formally close the collective dispute. The strike planned by Solidarność has been called off.
“It is untrue,” stresses Marek Miszczak, “that the management of Gerresheimer Bolesławiec did not meet with the trade unions. Practically once a month or once every two months, we met with representatives of all the trade unions and the Works Council. The discussions had been going on for several months.”
Gerresheimer representatives add:
The company’s management board hopes for continued good cooperation with the social partners represented by the trade unions and the Works Council and invites all employees to pre-Christmas meetings.
What do you think?
Let us recall. Recently, we reported that a strike could take place at Gerresheimer in Bolesławiec on Tuesday, December 11. Franciszek Kopeć, head of the Jelenia Góra Regional Board of NSZZ Solidarność, confirmed this information in an interview with us.Franciszek Kopeć, head of the Jelenia Góra Regional Board of NSZZ Solidarność.
As F. Kopeć emphasized, as many as 90 percent of those voting in the referendum supported the strike, so Solidarność was carrying out the employees’ will.
The strike was to continue until its objectives were achieved—that is, until Gerresheimer fulfilled the protesters’ demands.
On November 29, we reported that NSZZ Solidarność trade union members from Gerresheimer Bolesławiec S.A. (formerly Polfa) had organized a protest rally.
More than 80 people took part in the protest. People walked near the Gerresheimer company building and chanted “Solidarity!” and “We want to live with dignity!”
“There is a lot of pressure at work; we work in high temperatures. I do not expect this aspect to improve radically. The most important thing is to earn a decent wage. We are demanding a PLN 500 gross increase,” Sylwester Gałbiuk from Solidarność told us.Sylwester Gałbiuk from Solidarność.
We tried to find out how much the company’s employees currently earn, but the Solidarność representative did not want to answer precisely. He said only that the wages were unimpressive.