Polish supermarket workers protest unsocial hours

Some supermarkets around Poland are on a so called ‘Italian strike’ on Thursday, the Christian Corpus Christi holiday.

The workers are to perform their duties very carefully and meticulously. This is not good news for thousands of the clients, tvn24.pl reports.

Not all the supermarkets are taking part in the strike, however.

Trade unionists from various chain stores want to protest against working on Sundays and holidays as well as against working, as they put it, beyond human powers and for a very low salary.

Such chain-stores as ‘Biedronka’, ‘Auchan’ and ‘Galeria Centrum’ announced that their shops will be closed today.

The national branch of the Commercial Workers NSZZ “S” appealed to workers of ‘Real’ and ‘Carrefour’ supermarkets for active participation in the strike.

Director general of the Polish Organisation of Commerce and Distribution (POHiD) Maria Andrzej Faliński described the strike as an “inappropriate form of protest”.

He added that this is a form of putting political pressure on MPs, “to quicken their work over an act imposing a ban on trading on Sundays and during the 12 most important state and religious holidays”.

Trade unionist can count on the League of Polish Families (LPR), which already has announced their support for the workers.

On Wednesday LPR announced that they “will use any available political measures”, to impose a ban on Sunday trade.

Link