Major trade unions are striking over the worsening situation in the Polish railways. The sector has been struggling for years, but its performance over the Christmas and New Year holidays in 2010–2011 drew widespread criticism. The government censured the railways for organisational chaos and failing to keep passengers informed. The strike by the trade unions has, however, provoked little reaction from the government. Tripartite dialogue in the sector is very limited.
Holiday crisis in the rail sector
From mid-December 2010 until mid-January 2011, the Polish railways experienced a crisis that still resonates today. The new rail timetable was introduced a month late, on 12 December. The timetable was also inaccurate, which created confusion amongst passengers for a number of weeks. The e-version and printed versions of the timetable differed, passengers were directed to nonexistent platforms, and the website with the official timetable not only contained unreliable information but was difficult to access. In early January images of extremely overcrowded trains appeared in the media. A severe winter added to the chaos and the Christmas and New Year rail traffic experienced major delays.
Censure of the Minister of Infrastructure
Although the Minister of Infrastructure, Cezary Grabarczyk, from the ruling rightwing-liberal party Civic Platform (PO), offered the Prime Minister his resignation, he was not dismissed. The opposition Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) moved for a vote of no-confidence in the minister. The vote was held in early January but the minister survived.
Changes in rail companies
Cezary Grabarczyk remained in his post, but the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure responsible for the rail sector, Juliusz Engelhardt (recommended by the coalition partner, the Polish Peasant Party, PSL), was removed and so was the President of the Polish State Railways JSC, Director General of the Polish State Railways Group (Grupa PKP), Andrzej Wach. Penalties for the directors of companies from the Grupa PKP meant that their annual bonuses were taken away.
Protest and Strike Committee of Railway Employees’ Trade Unions takes action
The Protest and Strike Committee was set up in August 2010 in reaction to the lack of negotiations between employers, government and unions over the restructuring and privatisation of the Polish railways (PL1009019I). It is made up of three national trade unions:
- the Federation of Trade Unions of the Employees of Polish State Railways (FZZP PKP) affiliated to the Trade Unions Forum (FZZ);
- the National Section of Railway Employees of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union Solidarity (NSZZ Solidarność);
- the Confederation of Railway Trade Unions affiliated to the All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions (OPZZ).
At the end of January 2011 the Committee issued a statement declaring that it would launch a protest action. It had sent a request a number of weeks earlier to the Polish President, Bronisław Komorowski, asking him to hold a summit on the problems of the rail sector. This request was not met.
In February demonstrations were held in the major Polish cities of Kraków, Bydgoszcz and Katowice. The number of participants ranged from several dozen to a few hundred. Demonstrators were critical of the Minister of Infrastructure and reminded him of their demands presented in September 2010 (PL1009019I) when they had protested against the privatisation and lack of funding of the sector.
Meeting of the Tripartite Team for Railways broken up
On 16 February the Tripartite Team for Railways (one of the sectoral teams in the Tripartite Commission on Social and Economic Affairs) held a meeting; however the governmental side was not properly represented and was not empowered to take any binding decisions. One of the government representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MPiPS) left soon after the meeting started, as a result of which trade union representatives decided to abandon the meeting.
Trade union representatives believed that proceeding with the Tripartite Team for Railways was a waste of time, leaving little hope that a common position could be worked out. No official statement regarding the meeting has been issued by the government or the employers’ side.
Commentary
The crisis in the Polish railways during the 2010–2011 holidays adds to the image of a sector with grave problems, affected by years of neglect with little investment in infrastructure and a chaotic structure. Trade unions have managed to unite under one banner, the Protest and Strike Committee of Railway Employers Trade Unions. However, the government has thus far shown no interest in entering into tripartite dialogue with the trade unions and railway groups. There is likely to be further action from the social partners in the rail sector in the months to come.
Ewelina Kuźmicz, Institute of Public Affairs