At the municipal cemetery in Bolesławiec stands Ewa’s grave. The headstone was funded by employees of Zakłady Ceramiczne Bolesławiec (ZCB) through private contributions. Ewa had the mind of a child and could be difficult when she became ill. Her colleagues from the decorating room did not leave her to her fate. They cared for her to the very end.
– It was as if I were watching someone drown and had a choice: stand by passively because jumping into the water was dangerous for me, or jump in to help. I jumped. And I suffered serious consequences as a result – says Agata Rusiecka, who was dismissed on disciplinary grounds from ZCB by its president, Arkadiusz Grzesiowski.
The president used what Agata had done to take away her job at the plant. Asked why he had acted this way, he remains silent.
Ewa’s story
Ewa worked at ZCB for 40 years before being dismissed. The women who talk about Ewa were very close to her, although their colleague was not an easy person. Her illness made Ewa distrustful; she did not accept help directly and had a sense of pride and a need for independence, pursuing it in the only way she knew how. There were also strange behaviours: conversations held with herself, sudden bursts of laughter and unusual gestures. That was when the women realised Ewa was ill. Before that, they had simply considered her helpless in life, but a very good person.
– For more than twenty years, everyone had known that Ewa was ill and that working at the plant was the only environment where she could count on support – Jola says. – Practically everyone helped her in different ways. In recent years, she had become very thin. We thought it was simply because of her helplessness, that she had no money for food and that was why she was losing so much weight. We got together and bought her lunches so that she would at least have one hot meal. She underwent periodic examinations, and her latest lung X-ray showed that it was cancer – Jola says.
Her colleagues say Ewa could not cope with everyday life. They saw how helpless she was and how hard she tried, and supported her with all their strength. Unfortunately, Ewa could not manage the money she earned, even though she had a high salary. As her colleagues suspected, she may also have fallen victim to fraud several times. Sometimes they lent her money, which she repaid to the last penny. Despite the loans, she could not look after herself. She also had an addiction. She smoked heavily. Because of this, someone sometimes judged her unfairly.
– I lent her money, but then I went on holiday – Jola says. – When Ewa met me in the street, she gave me the entire amount back. She said she had set aside the money for the debt and kept it so she could return it to me. She remembered to repay everyone who had lent her money. Over time, however, her condition deteriorated. She had problems with hygiene. She showered at the plant, but apparently had no way to wash her clothes. She borrowed money and warned that she would not repay it quickly because, supposedly, someone had taken out a loan in her name and her account had been blocked. Her social housing flat was poor. She did not let everyone in and cared about her privacy. – All the time, we helped as much as we could. And I will say that people are still looking after Ewa to this day. When I brought her a decoration for All Saints’ Day, there was already one there. We also contributed privately to the monument – Jola adds.
Her colleagues wanted to arrange professional psychiatric care for Ewa, but despite their help and kindness, Ewa refused treatment. She was terrified of a psychiatric hospital. She did not want to hear about it. And that fear got her into serious trouble.
The document Ewa did not want to sign
Ewa was dismissed on disciplinary grounds in 2023 (at that time, ZCB was headed by president Sebastian Fijałkowski, a Law and Justice appointee). The women from the trade unions wanted to help Ewa. It was not easy. A woman who had worked at the company for 40 years was seriously ill. In addition to her developing cancer, her mental illness was worsening. Ewa did not come to work, but she did not go to a doctor either. Not because she did not want to. She did not understand what was happening around her.
– The employer applied to the trade unions saying that it wanted to dismiss Ewa on disciplinary grounds – Agata Rusiecka explains. – We had three days to respond to the letter. In our response, we referred to a court judgment so that she would not be dismissed on disciplinary grounds, but through the ordinary procedure. We fought for her severance pay so that the woman would not be left without any means of support. It was about approximately PLN 21,000 in retirement severance, which could have genuinely helped her survive – Rusiecka adds.
To avoid the financial consequences of disciplinary dismissal, Ewa should have signed a request for unpaid leave. That one signature would have saved her situation. However, Ewa was afraid to sign the application.
– She may have thought that signing would cause her to be taken to a psychiatric hospital, which she was obsessively afraid of – Jola explains. – She did not realise the consequences. She was like a child. What were we supposed to do? It is my fault; I should have signed the leave request on Ewa’s behalf, but Agata did it. Although every one of us wanted to forge Ewa’s signature. Not for the money. Not for ourselves. For Ewa. Ultimately, the company suffered no loss because the severance pay was not paid anyway. The last time I saw her, she looked beautiful; her longer hair was combed back and she was wearing a nice sweater. I hugged her tightly and promised I would help her submit a pension application to ZUS. A few days later, they found her dead in her flat… – Jola falls silent, tears in her eyes.
Agata’s story
The ZCB Management Board reported the forged signature to the prosecutor’s office. The woman was accused of forging a signature on Ewa’s behalf and exposing the company to an unfavourable disposal of property. Agata was convicted. However, as of 1 December 2025, the conviction had already been expunged.
Despite this, president Grzesikowski dismissed Agata on disciplinary grounds because she had once been convicted.
– In my case, the president claims that he learned on 12 November 2025 that I had been convicted, even though the company had had this information since June 2024 – Agata says. – Meanwhile, on 11 December 2025 I received a disciplinary dismissal. On 8 January 2026, the court reinstated me for the duration of the court proceedings – Agata recounts.
We asked Arkadiusz Grzesiowski why he had dismissed Agata despite the fact that on the day of her dismissal her conviction had been expunged, meaning she was formally a person without a criminal record. The president did not answer our question. But he pointed out that since we had the documents and referred to the judgment, it was worth considering, when analysing the matter, the prohibited act described in the judgment.
– And they are still creating problems for me about returning to that job – Agata says. – I came to work, but the foreman did not let me start. He told me to wait an hour until someone from HR arrived and confirmed that I could begin work. I understand that the management had informed neither the plant manager nor my immediate supervisor that I was an employee again. In accounting, I was also told to arrange private insurance because I would not receive any pay. I had to tell them too that the court had reinstated me. When I called HR, they told me that I was formally an employee, but legal steps were being taken to prevent me from being admitted to work, and they were still waiting for information from the lawyers about how it would look – the woman says.
Politicians always praise the people who make ceramics
Agata is still fighting for the job she has held for more than 30 years. Ewa, ill and dismissed on disciplinary grounds after 40 years, died.
This story has no simple division between guilty and innocent. Formally, a signature was forged. In reality, an attempt was made to help an ill woman who did not understand reality. Legally, a judgment was handed down and there was a dismissal. Humanly, there was helplessness, fear and loyalty. Yet the most striking thing is something else: throughout the entire affair, money was the least important issue. The most important question, therefore, is this: can someone be punished for trying to save a person who was unable to save herself?
Which politician would not visit ZCB during the numerous campaigns? There is always talk of the wonderful people who create exceptional Bolesławiec ceramics. Recently, the plant was visited by Michał Jaros, head of the Lower Silesian structures of KO. Jaros described the visit as follows:
Zakłady Ceramiczne „Bolesławiec” is one of the best things Lower Silesia can be proud of. It represents quality, craftsmanship and people who have been building a globally recognisable brand for years.
The story above was precisely about those people.