There will be a general strike at ZUS. “It will cover the whole country”

The Management Board of the Trade Union Alternative Trade Union at the Social Insurance Institution decided to start a general strike at ZUS on June 27 this year. The strike will cover the entire country and will last until further notice. A spokesman for the Social Insurance Institution claims that the representatives of the Union Alternative disseminate untrue information about the Institute. He adds that the alternative is one of the smallest trade unions in ZUS.

Dismissal in ZUS is the main reason for the strike

According to trade unionists, the direct cause of the decision to strike is the disciplinary dismissal of the leader of the Union Alternative at ZUS and the main negotiator in the collective dispute, Ilona Garczyńska.

The decision to strike was made last week . At that time, however, the date was not known yet. Today we know that the protest action will start on June 27.

It has been going on for a long time. The trade unions are demanding an increase in salaries, the reinstatement of the head of the Polish Social Security Committee, and the resignation of the president of ZUS, Gertruda Uścińska.

In November last year, the Union Alternative encouraged the employees of the Social Insurance Institution to donate blood and collect a day off on November 15-16. This was to be a warning signal to the management that officials were ready to strike.

In September last year, one of the employees of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) told us that it was getting hotter in the Department. – People are afraid to go to sickness, they come to work on antidepressants – we hear. At the same time, employees complained about earnings that did not reach 3,000. PLN on hand.

Comments on the decision to strike

“I can assure you that, first of all, thanks to the enormous commitment of ZUS employees, it has implemented, carries out and will carry out all statutory tasks related to the payment of pensions and other benefits, including those for the family, in particular 500 plus. Representatives of the Union Alternative spread false information about ZUS. The alternative is one of the smallest trade unions in ZUS. It has just over 160 members. For comparison, there are over 40,000 employees working for ZUS. Adopting the thesis of this union today is like saying, based on information from one journalist, that the editorial office is terminating its activities “- convinces ZUS spokesman Paweł Żebrowski.

He adds that at the present stage of the dialogue, all protest actions are illegal.

“The creation of a false state of threat by this single trade union organisation, evoking negative emotions, and attempts to manipulate public opinion is unacceptable. The union once again scares citizens and spreads false information” – adds Żebrowski.

He also argues that ZUS pays out funds from 500 plus on an ongoing basis. “Importantly, new benefits for families, including 500 plus ones, are not provided by employees servicing pensions, disability pensions or benefits, or employees from the area of ​​contributions, audit, medical certification or administration. of automated tasks, “reads the statement.

“Handling 500 plus and CPR is the task of the Family Services Centre. The Centre was established to carry out additional tasks, including CPR. Due to the fact that the applications are electronic, the vast majority of them are handled without human intervention – through a special application. About 90 people work there now, “the spokesman continues.

The dismissed employee “breached her obligations”

” As for Ms Ilona Garczyńska, in the opinion of the employer, she has repeatedly violated her basic employee duties. Repeatedly is untrue and disseminates false information. The Social Insurance Institution deems unacceptable statements as an employee of the Social Insurance Institution, slandering the good name of the Institution, its management, and unions. professional and other employees “, it says.

Żebrowski explains that ” the actions of the employees may result in a reduction or even loss of the Institute’s credibility, as well as the loss of trust in the Department as an institution of significant importance for the functioning of the state and society”. “By committing such activities, the employee undoubtedly violates the employee’s duty to care for the well-being of the workplace and to adhere to the principles of social coexistence, as well as the obligation to comply with the work regulations” – she emphasises.

“The decision to dismiss the employee resulted from her discrediting other trade unions and specific people involved in their activities, which was not accepted by the employer. This reprehensible activity was not a rare phenomenon, which was pointed out to us. For many months we have also heard voices of concerned ZUS employees. We listened carefully to all these signals, trying to tone down the mood, explain the situation, control the indignation of the employees themselves by inappropriate behaviour of the employee. However, it is difficult to explain actions accompanied by aggression or degrading words “- we read.

Source: BusinessInsider