In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic began. Many activities across the country were closed or restricted. Some people were barely making ends meet, while many lost their jobs and incomes.
At the same time, employees at the Bolesławiec office of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture were paid bonuses. The office was then headed by Szymon Pogoda of Law and Justice.
Bonuses during the pandemic
The document we obtained shows that in 2020, bonuses were awarded twice, for the second and third quarters. In total, employees in managerial and non-managerial positions received more than PLN 24,000.
The details of the bonuses paid are shown in the table below.
| Q2 2020 | Q3 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| managerial position 1 | PLN 1,800 | PLN 2,100 |
| managerial position 2 | PLN 2,500 | PLN 3,000 |
| position 1 | PLN 1,000 | PLN 1,400 |
| position 2 | PLN 800 | PLN 1,800 |
| position 3 | PLN 800 | PLN 1,400 |
| position 4 | PLN 800 | PLN 1,300 |
| position 5 | PLN 700 | PLN 1,400 |
| position 6 | PLN 700 | PLN 1,400 |
| position 7 | PLN 400 | PLN 900 |
At the end of November 2020, Szymon Pogoda left the Bolesławiec ARiMR office after becoming an MP, taking the place of the departing Adam Lipiński.
When asked by us, Szymon Pogoda did not comment on the amounts of the bonuses awarded or the reason for their payment.
It should be added that in December 2020, Maciej Małkowski, a close acquaintance of Szymon Pogoda, became head of ARiMR in Bolesławiec. Małkowski actively supported him in the 2019 parliamentary elections.