Interview with Dariusz Skrzypczak, the president of the "Solidarity" trade-union in Nestle Poland (ex-Goplana)

What is the situation of a plant belonging to the a world leading manufacturer of sweets and breakfast cereal?

We don't know what are the plans of the owner. As far as we can tell, there is a constant drop in production, despite the declarations that nobody intends to close down our enterprise. But since the privatisation in 1994 about 2000 people have lost their jobs. At this time, only about 700 people still work in the factory. The "voluntary departure program" has been launched. In the preceding months about 109 workers quit, even though the board planned to cut only 79 jobs. Another 50 people are waiting in the line. Our plants in Leszno and Sulechow have been liquidated, and only a plant in Kargowa remains. About 150 people has to commute to Poznan from Leszno (about 70 km).

Why are people quitting? Is it really because of the 30 or 60 thousand zloty that they receive when they quit?

If you take into account the situation on the work market, these are not large sums of money, especially within the context of current changes in the labor code which make stable employment more difficult to find. Some people are simply fed up with working here because of the atmosphere of fear which is widespread since Nestle came in. Nobody is allowed to voice their opinion, workers or managers or the local managers. The decisions of the Swiss center are put into effect ruthlessly. On top of that, anyone can see that the production is being phased-out, so the fate of the plant and of the people employed there is less than certain.

What rationale is given behind the decision to cut production?

They keep saying that this type of production is only seasonal and that there is a lot of competition and that the customers are not interested in our products. It seems strange, given the fact that the production was going at full speed before the privatisation. The plant worked since 1912 and was founded in a specific political situation of economic struggle against German colonisation. The "Goplana" factory survived two wars, the occupation, 45 years of communism, stalinism, but it didn't survive capitalism. I don't understand the policies of the government, not only the current one but all those before it as well. It is sickening how prosperous Polish companies were sold out.

What was the ownership status of the plant at the time that Nestle came into play?

After the privatisation 47% shares belonged to the state, 47% to Nestle and 6% belonged to the workers. The work were pressured to sell their shares. They were threatened and told that if they don't sell the shares they might lose their jobs. Some people even filed complaints to the district attorney against illegal threats, but the cases were dropped. The people who kept the shares didn't profit from that either. Some ex-workers accused Nestle of manipulating share accounting and demanded huge compensations. But the court decided that infringment was on the side of the state and not that of Nestle. That's how it was. It has to be added that Nestle Poland also owns the Winiary plant in Kalisz and that plant is also being threatened with restructuring.

How did your section of "Solidarity" came to being in such conditions?

In 1997 there was a lot of times the production was stopped. People were sent on mandatory leave. Our real wages fell significantly since the plant was taken over by the Swiss. Some workers decided to do something about it and so "Solidarity" was formed. The OPZZ [other branch of trade-unions of post-communist provenience] was already here. The union was met with antagonism from the start until this day. People are pressured not to join the union. We didn't manage to organise a union in Kargowa where 200 people are working. The people kept saying: "what good will it be that i will have legal protection if i join the union if they will not leave me alone here in the plant".

How many members are there in your union commision?

Presently our union has over a hundred members. I admire the unionists for not bowing to the constant pressure. It is said that we are the "bone in the throat of the employer". Our union is not a loved one. The executives from Nestle keep talking about a dialogue, and that the workers are a priority for them, but their policy is clear: if there is revenue they keep the plant, if there aren't, they move somewhere else. It's like a plague of locusts: as long as there is something to eat it feeds, but when the field is entirely devastated, they move on.