On December the 15th, the chairperson of the IP branch in the Poplski Theatre in Wrocław, Tomasz Lulek received 11 notifications on "an intention to terminate long term work contracts with the employees". All of them are members of our Workplace Committee, actors: Anna Ilczuk, Marta Zięba, Andrzej Kłak, Michał Opaliński; director Łukasz Twardowski; the literature department workers: Nina Karniej, Kasia Majewska, Alicja Szumańska; entire computer-graphic department: Natalia Kabanow, Michał Matoszko, Piotr Sarama. In three of the cases, the official reason is the cancellation of the work positions. The remaining eight are dismissal on disciplinary grounds. The stated explanations are, among others: critique of the head of the Theatre, lost confidence in the worker, critical Facebook entries, participating in demonstrations in defence of the Theatre, taping mouths during ovation etc.
We treat it as an attack on our Union and its Workplace Committee as well as impeding of union activities during collective bargaining with the employer. We have announced a strike alert and we ask to support our protest in all possible ways including sending the e-mails of protest to the head of the Theatre and to Lower Silesian Marshal’s Office, in particular to the vice-Marshal Tedeusz Samborski.
We treat it as an attack on our Union and its Workplace Committee as well as impeding of union activities during collective bargaining with the employer. We have announced a strike alert and we ask to support our protest in all possible ways including sending the e-mails of protest to the head of the Theatre and to Lower Silesian Marshal’s Office, in particular to the vice-Marshal Tedeusz Samborski.
We call for all the branches of our Union as well as sisterly Unions and social organisations to send the letters of protest to the head of the Theatre and to the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodship. Specimen of the letter and contact information can be found below.
Workplace Committee of the Workers’ Initiative Union at the Polski Theatre in Wrocław.
To: Mr. Cezary Przybylski, Marshall of the Lower Silesian Voivodship (e-mail: marszalek@dolnyslask.pl)
Mr. Cezary Morawski, Director of the Polski Theatre in Wrocław (e-mail: sekretariat@teatrpolski.wroc.pl)
A statement of protest against dismissals in the Polski Theatre in Wrocław
We protest against dismissal of the employees Polski Theatre in Wrocław, members and activists of the Workers’ Initiative Union. It is an act of violation of civic, workers’ and union rights, especially in the face of an ongoing collective bargaining in the Theatre. Decission about firing is motivated with revenge on the workers who protested against destruction of the Theatre in its current shape. We do not approve of that and appeal to the Voivodship Marshal to undertake effective activities in that matter.
