In November, the Voivodeship Commission for Social Dialogue (WKDS) sent a letter to Piotr Roman. The commission was concerned that it was dealing for the second time this year with a social conflict at an institution subordinate to the mayor. In the commission’s view, it had not been possible to resolve the improper relations between the MOSiR director, trade unions and employees. Particular concern was caused by the second social conflict, within a span of several months, taking place at the Municipal Social Welfare Centre.
In his response, Piotr Roman wrote that the situation at the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre in Bolesławiec (MOSiR) had calmed down and that the institution was operating without any reservations. He also stated that the conflict at MOPS was largely personal in nature. He accused the chairwoman of the workplace “Solidarity” trade union of actively joining the campaign to undermine the authority not only of the MOPS director but also of himself during the local-government election campaign. Below is the full text of Piotr Roman’s letter.
I want to believe that the Presidium of the Voivodeship Commission for Social Dialogue taking up the subject of disputes at two organisational units of the Bolesławiec municipal commune is—as the Voivode wrote—quote: “an expression of concern for social peace in the region.” At the same time, I want to draw the Presidium members’ attention to the fact that in both cases the dispute is being directed not towards mediation but towards court proceedings. It becomes understandable that I was waiting for the outcome of the court proceedings in the criminal case involving Dariusz Jośka, Director of the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre in Bolesławiec. The judgment was issued on 13 September 2010, while I received the grounds for the judgment discontinuing the criminal proceedings against the accused Dariusz Jośka on 15 November 2010.
The situation at the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre in Bolesławiec (MOSiR) has calmed down; the institution is operating without any reservations. The representatives of both trade unions gave positive opinions on the liquidation of MOSiR operating as a budgetary establishment, in order to transform it into a budgetary unit as of 1 January 2011. Employees are being kept informed on an ongoing basis about the consequences both of the change in its organisational and legal form and of changes resulting from the planned opening, from the middle of next year, of an indoor sports and recreation swimming pool at Księdza Jerzego Popiełuszki Square, as well as the simultaneous closure of the currently operating historic swimming pool on Zgorzelecka Street—for the duration of modernisation under the Local Revitalisation Programme, co-financed by the Regional Operational Programme for Lower Silesia—Priority IX—Cities. These changes certainly contributed to causing concern among employees whose further professional development required retraining or a change in their previous position. I do not currently observe any such concerns.
With regard to the situation at the Municipal Social Welfare Centre in Bolesławiec (MOPS), I can state that after the trade union notified the prosecutor’s office of an alleged offence consisting of restricting trade-union freedoms, and the prosecutor refused to accept the notification, the court also dismissed the complaint in this matter. Fifteen social workers filed employment claims with the court concerning compensation for washing work clothes; the court will issue a judgment in this case on 8 December 2010. During preparations for this year’s local-government election campaign, the union chairwoman actively joined in undermining the authority not only of the MOPS Director but also of the incumbent mayor.
Such actions did not serve to reach an agreement at this particular workplace. Three mediation sessions held between 18 May and 13 August this year—when a protocol of differences was signed—did not resolve disagreements on several issues, such as statutory bonuses and employee performance assessment forms at MOPS. During the same period, four inspections were carried out at MOPS by the National Labour Inspectorate and two by the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Office. None of these inspections found any irregularities in MOPS’s operation. I am convinced that the conflict at MOPS is largely personal in nature, and in this situation one should also expect mitigating action from the trade-union authorities, whose influence on “social peace” at MOPS may be significant.
(information by Grażyna Hanaf)