Demonstration in Defense of Cegielski Workers

Over 2000 unionists from all over the country, mostly from Solidarity, and workers from the H. Cegielski plant in Poznan demonstrated in defense of the workplace and to demand higher severance pay for sacked workers.

Cegielski is a manufacturer of, among other things, trams,rail cars, ship engines, generators and compressors. It faces many problems, among them restructurization before privatization and a lack of orders, partially due to the destruction of the shipyard industry in Poland.

Solidarity and OPPZ, the largest unions in Cegielsi, agreed in September to group dismissals of 497 people (plus 40 retirements). Now the unions are demonstrating for better severance packages and in defense of the remaining jobs at the factory.

There were some tires and a coffin for the PM burnt along the way and a clash between anarchists and the police.