The two largest unions in Poland, Solidarity and OPZZ, are going back to the negotiating table. They have already agreed with the bosses to smash the independent unions.
In such a way, thet look to strengthen their position on the union market. OPZZ, which is a federation of unions, stands to benefit by sucking in the unions (or at least their members) which would be wiped out by a proposed amendment to the Act on Trade Unions.
The organization "Employers of the Republic of Poland", as well as others in the business lobby of the TriPartite Commission, have been talking for a long time with the union "social partners" about ways of limiting the small unions in the workplace. Currently in Poland a union can be formed with 10 people.
This rule as encouraged union pluralism and means that in many workplaces, people dissatisfied with the mainstream unions have formed alternative structures. Often these are more democratically based and more radical.
There are some other ideas being discussed as well, For example, what would be better: to limit the amount of unions in the workplace to one, or to decide that only unions in the TriPartite Commission (Solidarity, OPZZ and FZZ) can be representative? Another idea is that the State Labour Inspectorate should decide whether or not industrial disputes are "legitimate".
Of course the main unions are not in agreement about everything with the bosses. The bosses would like to get rid of the obligation to pay for full-time union reps at the workplace and shift these costs onto the unions. Obviously, the unions thrive off these positions. So they will gladly make some trade-offs to keep these priveleges as much as possible.
The professional union reps of course are not happy with this prospect. They will be mobilizing en masse in the next couple of weeks in a series of show demonstrations, lead by the "liberated" - the ones who have time off work for union activity.
The highlight of this month's protests should be the September 29 rally against government austerity measures. It should be the highlight because there is word that, besides the liberated ones, some actual pissed off workers should show up - which always imparts these otherwise lethargic demos with a little more excitement and the element of unpredictability. Especially since it is the rank and file who, despite the pleads of their union leaders, sometimes burn things, fight with police and otherwise radicalize the protest. The more of this the merrier!
More on the Sept. 29 action (in English):
http://internationalworkersassociation.blogspot.com/2010/09/zsp-on-labour-action-29-september.html
More about the maneouvres of the unions in the TriPartite Commission (in Polish):
http://cia.bzzz.net/pracodawcy_i_zolte_zwiazki_majstruja_przy_ustawie_o_zwiazkach_zawodowych_i_sporach_zbiorowych
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