STEFAN PRZYBYSZEWSKI

Text & Photo / Alexander Ivanov

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Stefan's involvement in his union Solidarność first began in 1980 when, for the first time, democratic elections took place in the union. Stefan was elected chairman of the local organization at a factory in Poznan. The enterprise was producing agricultural machinery until it was restructured in 1983 into an auto plant.

However in December 1981, when marshal law was introduced in Poland, trade unions became illegal and had to go underground. This was a grim time for Polish people. Every kind of gathering was prosecuted by the regime.

Today, looking at a relaxed, smiling Stefan, talking about his hobby of gardening, one can hardly believe he was part of the legendary struggle by Solidarność, which resulted in the fall of communist rule in Poland by the end of the 1980s.

In 1984 Stefan was detained and together with thousands of trade unionists across the country he was submitted to a series of interrogations about his trade union activities. His conversation with security servicemen was far from pleasant and during an interrogation Stefan sustained serious injuries resulting in the loss of one of his kidneys.

Later, in 1989, when the plant where Stefan worked was reorganised into Volkswagen Poznan sp. z o.o. and union work became legal in Poland, Stefan, together with his colleagues, set up a local of Solidarność.

Many things have changed since this time and the younger generation of workers is not so keen on trade unions. In Poland today, only 14 to 15 per cent of workers are organised - Solidarność has 700,000 members. Stefan reports that the declining popularity of unions is resulting in weaker protection of workers and precarious forms of employment is a growing reality in Poland. In 2006, labour statistics showed that 250,000 workers were employed through job agencies; in 2007 the number stood at 480,000.

Thanks to the work of a tripartite commission in 2004, the Polish parliament adopted a law restricting the use of the same worker provided by a labour agency for more than one year. However, employers are continuing in their attempts to revise the law.

"At our Volkswagen plant in Poznan, we decided to eliminate the difference between permanent employees and temporary workers. We wanted temporary workers to join the trade union and we decided they should enjoy equal rights together with the permanent workers.

And I think we have achieved our goal, as now temporary workers are members of the trade union and have the same rights in our trade union and the company." In 2005, Stefan's union demanded that the employer provide the same holiday bonus for all workers at the enterprise regardless of whether they were employed directly or through an agency. The union warned the employer about a strike if the workers' demands were not met and so the employer agreed.

"It took a long time but we succeeded," said Stefan.

"Solidarność is currently planning what action we will take as part of the international day of action against precarious work planned for October 7 and the week before," explains Stefan, adding "the importance of this work cannot be underestimated."