On 12Th December, the member of Workers’ Initiative, Piotr Krzyzaniak, was fired from just opened delicatessen Alma in Zielona Gora. This was after, the day before he had submitted a document informing that he was a representative of lubuska Union Works Committee. In this document IP applied for information board and room for workers union meetings being made available. The company management was also informed that Piotr Krzyzaniak is under legal protection. Though the management decided to fire him, in the same time breaking The Act of Trade Unions. The idea of founding the union was given by the Alma workers themselves.

Piotr Krzyzaniak has begun his trial period work on 3Th September. On 28Th October the specified time contract was made with him. Earlier on 31st December 2007 Piotr Krzyzaniak was fired from Auchan because of his union activism.

Alma delicatessen have begun their commercial activity in 1995, in Crocow. Jerzy Mazgaj, buisnessman, is the owner of majority holding. Today Alma owns the chain of shops in Cracow, Warsaw, Nowy Targ, Tarnow, Wroclaw and Poznan among others. The full list of chain boxes is available on the website: www.almamarket.pl/lokalizacje. The Alma head office address: Alma Marker S.A., 30-964 Cracow, Pilotów 6 street.

Piotr Krzyzaniak is the 8Th of the workers who were fired in the last 3 weeks. Dismissal of Krzyzaniak and earlier dismissal of Jacek Rosolowski are clear evidences that the right to form workers unions in Poland is a fiction. Workers Initiative calls all its members, sympathizers and friendly workers unions for actions against hiper and supermarkets on 20Th December. The actions are being organized, inter alia, in Cracow, Czestochowa, Zielona Gora, Warsaw, Poznan, Gdansk, probably in Lublin and Torun as well. We also call for special and persistent actions against Alma.

Because of the wave of dismissals Workers Initiative has found itself in a hard financial situation. We apply for financial support.

OZZ Inicjatywa Pracownicza
Górecka 154, 61-424 Poznañ
57 9043 1070 2070 0042 8758 0001
"Darowizna na obronê praw pracowniczych"
"Donation for protection of wrokers’ rights"

In the same time Workers Initiative ensures that, inspite of persecutions, it will not give up the fight to protect workers and unions rights, against exploitation and injustice.

Jarek URBANSKI (Workers Initiative Poland)