1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:07,400 The Polish grassroots union Inicjatywa Pracownicza 2 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,600 I work at an Amazon warehouse 3 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,040 where all the workers are. 4 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:28,240 When I ask them to join the union 5 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,640 they tell me they were part of 6 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,080 the 1980's workers movement 7 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,680 but now look where I am. 8 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:39,880 I work in a warehouse 9 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,000 for a very low wage. 10 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,000 under constant control. 11 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,320 We need to fight against it. 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,120 We need to remember that 13 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,720 the older workers movements 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:58,680 influence the workers movements of today. 15 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,000 There are also young Amazon workers 16 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,480 that have no experience with unions. 17 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,920 Low unemployment in Poland 18 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,000 is something very new. 19 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:23,480 Many regions have almost no unemployment. 20 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,000 Many people do "job hopping" 21 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,800 as they see no future in one workplace. 22 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,000 Many people say they won't be active 23 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:40,240 because they won't stay longer than a year. 24 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:44,200 On the other hand when we speak to 25 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,680 monthly temporary workers 26 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:53,000 they say they want permanent work. 27 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,200 So on the one hand some workers 28 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,000 try to improve their situation by changing jobs 29 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,600 on the other hand they want stability. 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,200 And we need higher wages 31 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,480 to pay for higher rent. 32 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,360 So when pressure comes from managers 33 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:21,480 they come to us for help. 34 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,680 They know where to find us 35 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,200 to ask for support. 36 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:34,520 But with the job hopping situation, 37 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,760 workers are less scared to take action. 38 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,000 They want to show their anger 39 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,520 They don't want to accept 40 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,720 this permanent control and pressure 41 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:51,000 That's why I stand up for change. 42 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,000 Some people are not scared to organise 43 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,000 even if it's not easy in Amazon. 44 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,160 A big company with 45 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,400 professional union busters 46 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:10,840 that go against those who try to organise. 47 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:17,080 Workers don't always trust eachother, 48 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,280 but after some time we talk to eachother 49 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,800 then we show that we can 50 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:32,000 start a new form of worker organising 51 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,720 a grassroots movement. 52 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,800 It takes time but 53 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:48,200 when people see that 54 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,960 we are on the same eye level 55 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:56,800 they are keen to join. 56 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,800 Since conditions in the Polish 57 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,440 labour market changed 58 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,960 we also need to find 59 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,960 new strategies. 60 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Now when unemployment is low 61 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,000 and wages are rising 62 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,000 it feels like workers 63 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,000 have power to change something. 64 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,960 We were the first in Poland 65 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,000 to talk about Special Economic Zones (SEZ) 66 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:37,440 where workers have precarious contracts. 67 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,000 For a couple of years 68 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:45,680 30% of workers didn't even have contracts. 69 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,880 So workers started a campaign 70 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,880 for workers without contracts. 71 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,040 One section of our union started 72 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:01,760 organising at a subsidiary of LG. 73 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,720 We were the first to
raise awareness 74 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,560 of conditions
in the SEZ. 75 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,440 Big companies don't have to pay taxes. 76 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,440 In this Chang Hong company 77 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,000 there was a legal strike 78 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,600 according to labour law. 79 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,080 But 30 of our members were fired. 80 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:33,880 Which shows how bad the situation is 81 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,000 in these SEZ's. 82 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:44,200 There are 15 SEZ's 83 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:49,720 but there is a political discussion about 84 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,880 whether we should ban all SEZs 85 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:59,080 to implement national laws 86 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,200 and whether taxes should be exempt. 87 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,400 Amazon doesn't pay taxes in Poland 88 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:10,480 because they say they don't 89 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,720 make profit in Poland. 90 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,480 because all commodities 91 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,680 go and come from Germany. 92 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:30,680 Worker education and infrastructure 93 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,800 is funded by taxes 94 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,600 paid by workers. 95 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:38,520 But those who proft, 96 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,720 such as Jeff Bezos 97 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,360 the richest man in the world 98 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,000 they don't
pay their share. 99 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,160 Working at Amazon has bad health effects 100 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:54,400 but the healt system depends on taxes 101 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,680 we pay relatively high taxes 102 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,440 and Amazon pays almost nothing. 103 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,680 that has to be said 104 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,200 we need to be aware of this. 105 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,200 Amazon is an international company 106 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,160 which pays nearly no taxes 107 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,200 it uses our infrastructure 108 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,800 it doesn't listen to it workers 109 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,000 and it's time to put an end to this. 110 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,200 I think it's important for workers 111 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,200 to feel they have control 112 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,200 over their union's activities. 113 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:44,200 I can tell you how the section began. 114 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:50,600 It began with a group of young workers 115 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:52,960 who had lived abroad 116 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,680 when they came back they knew 117 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,800 that conditions were worse than abroad 118 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:06,240 they decided to change this. 119 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:11,000 They looked for a small union 120 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:16,000 so that they could have control of it. 121 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:20,320 so they decided to join the IP. 122 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,000 The people who are now part of IP 123 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:31,440 said then that they would not join 124 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,000 if they have expensive furniture. 125 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,440 That would be our wages going 126 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,440 into union bureaucracy. 127 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,440 So they saw a little union office 128 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,000 in a working class neighbourhood 129 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:55,000 this is where we will have 130 00:08:55,200 --> 00:09:00,000 control of our union. 131 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,920 Here there were people 132 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:09,240 who were sick of the bureaucracy 133 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,000 and compromises of other unions. 134 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,320 they wanted control 135 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:17,760 and that's why 136 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,800 these sections were founded. 137 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,520 We discussed how to bring together 138 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,800 temporary, full time and female workers. 139 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,800 We also organised 140 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:37,680 meetings for day labourers. 141 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:45,680 3rd March this year 142 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,680 we organised a women's congress 143 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,400 There were people from many sectors, 144 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:57,680 people from the rental movements, 145 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,200 who discussed their problems 146 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,800 there were public sector workers 147 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:07,000 also amazon workers 148 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,440 and hospital and care workers. 149 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,880 People who organise on a daily basis 150 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:21,320 There are ofcourse many discussions 151 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,840 for example on the situation of women 152 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:29,840 and the role of women in organising 153 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:34,080 This year we will focus on 154 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:38,840 campaigning to defend workers rights. 155 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,520 We know there are proposals 156 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,000 to bring in new laws. 157 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:49,960 For example to introduce 158 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:55,720 zero hour contracts in Poland 159 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,920 or new restrictions on small unions 160 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:04,200 as opposed to big unions. 161 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,720 We started campaigns and discussions 162 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,000 we protested on the streets 163 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:15,800 and we talk to workers in the workplace. 164 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,920 At IP we address issues which 165 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:27,320 bring different workers together.