No sooner had Polish Railways (PKP) revealed it hoped to make substantial profits during the upcoming European football championships than its employees threatened to go on strike. The cause was joined by employees of TK Telekom. Both companies are due to be privatized, and workers are demanding that any deal with a new owner include employment guarantees for current staff.
The unions are concerned that Sławomir Nowak, Poland’s Transport Minister, has not confirmed assurances on the matter given by the former Minister of Infrastructure. “The contracts in PKP Cargo and TK Telekom have been negotiated but PKP SA does not want to sign them,” says Henryk Grymel, chairman of the Solidarność union. Failure to sign the contracts by the end of February could result in demonstrations in March, and potentially, strike action during the Euro 2012 tournament, which begins June 8. “The minister can set up screens to watch games at the railway stations because trains won’t be running,” warned Grymel.
