An appeal for help! Dariusz Skrzypczak fired!

rozbrat.org
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We request to take any action in defense of a trade union activist victimized for his activities.

The management of the Jutrzenka factory- a popular producer of sweets - has dismissed Dariusz Skrzypczak, the chairman of the Solidarity trade union in Goplana company in Poznan (Poland) (from January 2005 owned by Jutrzenka). He was fired on disciplinary grounds for the interview published in local press. Although Skrzypczak had only confirmed the fact that Jutrzenka had introduced new conditions of wages, which are unfavorable for most of the workers of Goplana, the management of the plant acknowledged those words as harmful to the company. It is the second attempt to fire Skrzypczak - the first one took place at the beginning of year 2005.

In the middle of December leaflets were distributed by another trade union - the Workers' Initiative that act in the factory in secret. The leaflets attacked the management of Jutrzenka for an attempt to cut workers' wages in spite of high profit reached by the factory. When Jutrzenka has taken over the Goplana, its profit has increased significantly. The Workers' Initiative have appealed to the staff to prepare for a strike and called for a collective industrial dispute. The information about unrest in the factory got into the Poznan's papers.

Just before Christmas, in "Fakty", "Metro" and "Glos Wielkopolski" there have been a paid statement of Jutrzenka being published entitled "The truth about Goplana". "We do not want to look for savings in our workers' pockets..." - the president of Jutrzenka Jan Kolanski stated. It has been also declared in the statement that the publications in newspapers "are only misinforming the public opinion and are threatening the good name of Jutrzenka".

On the 27th of December the chairman of Solidarity trade union in Goplana was informed about the readiness of giving him a sack on the basis of the article 52 of employment regulations that is dissmissal on disciplinary grounds. This is an attempt to intimidate workers and gagging the mouth of trade unions. The employer wants to attack Skrzypczak, because he is man of a considerable standing amongst the staff, who remembers him struggling for workers' rights when the factory was owned by Nestle. The presidium of plant's Solidarity commission did not agree to fire their chairman who is protected by the law. That being so the management of Jutrzenka had decided, in spite of the law, to fire Skrzypczak and on the 29th of December he was given a sack and was forbidden to enter the premises of the factory.

The case of Dariusz Skrzypczak is another example from last period when employer using dismissing on disciplinary grounds tries to remove the unwanted trade unions' activists. Similar examples took place in a coal mine "Budryk", where the chairman of Solidarity '80 was dismissed on disciplinary grounds for - as the employer sustains - an organizing of an illegal strike. In the factory Frito Lay owned by PepsiCo in Grodzisk the management fired on disciplinary grounds the chairman of "Solidarity" Slawomir Zagrajek, who had publicized the case of sexual harassment of female workers in the factory.

Please, send protest letters to the address:

Przedsiębiorstwo Cukiernicze Jutrzenka S.A
ul. Kościuszki 53
85-079 Bydgoszcz
Poland
tel.: (0-52) 37 69 300
fax: (0-52) 37 69 303

And please send a copy of this letter to the address below:

Goplana
ul.Św. Wawrzyńca 11
60-539 Poznań
Poland
tel.: (0-61) 846 73 00
fax: (0-61) 846 74 67

A pattern of the protest letter:

To:
Przedsiębiorstwo Cukiernicze Jutrzenka S.A
ul. Kościuszki 53
85-079 Bydgoszcz

We, the undersigned, would like to express our support for Dariusz Skrzypczak, the chairman of the plant's commission of Solidarity trade union. At the same time we strongly oppose to your recent violation of basic trade union rights. The dismissal of Dariusz Skrzypczak on disciplinary grounds is a sign of blatant repression against trade union activists in your company. We demand to restore Skrzypczak to work immediately.