Warsaw, Poland
Polish Workers Exercise Their Right To Fair Pay By Leaving Poland
Warsaw, Poland - 3, January 2008 In spite of a new "pro business" Government that is widely supported by the Polish populace, Poland's workers continue to emigrate to Western Europe for a better life and better pay. Their departure has changed a country from one long touted as having and abundant, young, well educated and low paid work force to one of few workers and spiraling wages.
Since 1989 successive Polish Governments have been attracting foreign investment by advertising how Poland's citizens are paid so little as compared to others in Europe. They have waived the Polish flag with pride and told companies to come to Poland because they won't have to pay well educated, young people very much. Poland had a great work force to be exploited.
In essence, Polish workers have been used as cash cows for the Polish budget. Investment has poured into the country.
But what has been good for Poland has not necessarily been good for the Polish worker.
Until Poland joined the European Union, Polish workers saw increased job opportunities but most did not see much in the way of increased pay checks. And even though over the past year wages have increased over 10%, they are still low compared to those in Western Europe.
Additionally work conditions in Poland are bad compared to those in the West. They are so relatively bad that even some people who want to return to Poland don't.
A recent returnee to Poland, lured back into the country by a job offer that collapsed as a result of a merger, said that she was preparing to leave again. As a senior bank executive, she sees no reason to work in Poland. After looking for other work she concluded that as compared to where she was working in England, she would work much longer hours at much lower pay. Though she would like to have her child brought up Polish, she is better off to go back to the UK and work where she will get better pay and have more time to spend with him.
The people of Poland could care less about attracting foreign investors. They want to be paid and to live like the people in Western Europe. They fully understand that they have a right to ask to be paid a fair wage and they have a right to move freely in Europe. So they are exercising that right and the number of employable people is decreasing.
To name just a few, there is a shortage of doctors, police, postal workers, train company workers and construction workers. And the shortage is getter worse as more people leave.
The impact on the country is starting to become more visible. It is at the point that the Polish Government should not be able to ignore it.
But it is. And as long as it does, the people will go where they are appreciated and they see that appreciation as cash in hand and time with their families.
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