Polish unions fall out over minimum wage deal

Solidarnosc and OPZZ, the two main Polish union confederations, are in dispute over Solidarnosc’s decision to sign a deal with the Polish government covering the 2008 minimum wage as well as increases for public sector workers.

The agreement provides for an increase in the minimum wage to 1,126 Zly a month (£200) compared with the current figure of 936 Zly (£166), taking it from 35% of average pay to 40%. Pay for public sector workers is to go up by 9.3% next year.

The agreements follow lengthy negotiations involving the government, the employers and both Solidarnosc and OPZZ, as well as a third union confederation Forum, in a tripartite commission. However, after Solidarnosc’s delegate meeting in August the prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski made a number of proposals to Solidarnosc, which as its spokesperson Andzrej Adamczyk told Labour Research “were too good for us to refuse”.

As a result the confederation signed the agreement without involving the others. In response OPZZ wrote to the government, asking why it had abandoned the tripartite commission and repeating its claim for a minimum wage set at 50% of average pay.

The government’s decision is almost certainly linked to the elections expected later this year, where it can expect Solidarnosc’s support while OPZZ will back the opposition.