Piotr Krzzaniak’s case came to an end. Piotr Krzy¿aniak, who is an activist
of the Workers’ Initiative from Zielona Góra, was illegally fired from
Auchan. On today’s case in the court (25th June), a shopping centre in
Zielona Góra put forward a proposal Auchan to reach an agreement, accepting
two fundamental demands, a disciplinary dismissal was withdrawn and they
withdrew claiming 4000 zlotys, which the employer said was stolen by
Krzyzaniak. The day earlier, French CNT trade union organised actions
against the concern in Nimes and Toulouse . French comrades announced to
organise next protests in September.
On 31st December 2007 Piotr Krzy¿aniak was accused of appropriation of 4000
zlotys
(around 1100 euro) and was dismissed in disciplinary mode by Auchan in
Zielona Góra.
It was a reaction of the employer on the Workers’ Initiative protest two
weeks
earlier. In front of the supermarket WI activists distributed leaflets
informing
customers about breaking workers’ rights in the store. Also press was
informed about
the irregularities. After the dismissal also criminal proceedings were
started
against Krzy¿aniak, among others they searched his flat. After all the
prosecutor’s
office didn’t discern the crime and dismissed it.
After the WI call in January and February 2008 a sequence of protest
campaigns were
organised in front of the Auchan shops in different Polish cities (Wroc³aw,
Poznañ,
Czêstochowa, Bielsko-Bia³a, Gdynia, Warsaw, Zielona Góra). The case of
Auchan also
interested the media and it was a top story in regional newspapers. A wider
group of
workers of the aggrieved parties started by Auchan in Zielona Góra,
directed a letter
to companiy’s authorities with a demand to dismiss the people responsible
for the
mistreatments from managerial functions.
During the process witnesses confirmed the accusations formulated by the
trade union
about Auchan in Zielona Góra. Similarly work standards and safety
inspectorate which
on demand of the Workers’ Initiative made the control in the area Auchan in
Zielona
Góra, stated a lot of erroneousness. In the document from 13th June they
wrote: "we
confirm the complaint of the trade union considering the accusations of not
paying
salary on time for the work considering different workers. What is more,
breaking
the workers’ law and safety regulations was confirmed, considering the time
of work,
paying salaries and training safety and hygene at work".