Public transport drivers in Warsaw are planning to donate blood en masse today – which qualifies them for a day off work – as part of strike action over demands for pay rises.
A recent preliminary deal for higher salaries reached with the municipal transport company has been rejected by trade unions, who threatened to freeze public transport in the capital on Wednesday.
Six of nine unions registered with Municipal Bus Services (MZA), which operates Warsaw’s public transport, said they were joining the protest.
The unions said that on 24 November its members would join a “social campaign” to donate blood, as doing so entitles them to a day off work, reports Interia. Those who cannot donate blood will take a leave of absence, according to the unions.
“It will show the authorities of Warsaw what will happen if there are no people behind the wheel” of public transport vehicles, said Adam Cebulski, chairman of the Polish Drivers’ Trade Union (ZZKRP) at MZA, which is also backing the strike.
Drivers from the taxi department of MZA, which was previously the stand-alone Municipal Taxi Company (MPT), will also take part in the protest.
It remains unclear how much disruption the planned action will cause. Sources from MZA told Interia that up to 80% of its drivers would join in the protest on Wednesday.
But Adam Stawicki, a spokesman for MZA, assured that protests would involve “less than 1% of the fleet” and that “there will be no difficulties in the operation of public buses,” reports TVN24.
Drivers are asking for an 800 zloty (€171) raise, which would be introduced in two rounds, one retrospectively from the start of October and the second at the start of January.
First-year bus drivers at the company earn an average of 5,700 zloty (€1,220) before tax, according to job advertisements from the company, but that includes additional pay for services such as night shifts.
The public transport company reached a preliminary agreement with unions last week for a 300 zloty (€64) pay rise in January and a one-off compensation of 1,500 zloty (€321) in November. Union bosses, however, rejected this as insufficient, with further talks planned, reports TVN24.
“Our demands are related to galloping inflation and an increase in the cost of living,” said the union, quoted by Interia. Inflation rose 6.8% in October year-on-year, the fourth month of consecutive growth and the highest figures in two decades.
“These demands are just a drop in the ocean of problems that have recently been faced by the employees of MZA and the recently sold MPT,” said the union.
Main image credit: Valik Chernetskyi/Unsplash
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
