#Worldwide #Information #Blogger #LucSchrijvers: #Update: #anarchist #news and information from all over the world - 6.04.2020

Today's Topics:

   

1.  Slovakia, priama akcia: COVID-19: Weekly Summary of
      Struggles for Life, Health and Work (II.)[machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  Slovakia, priama akcia: Today we celebrate the 20th
      anniversary of our union [machine translation] 
     (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  Britain, anarchist communist group ACG: Capitalist
      priorities From a Kent ACG member... (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  France, Union Communiste Libertaire UCL - press release:
      Abortion and contraception: a headache for many women (fr, it,
      pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 5.  Statement by the Russian section of the I.W.A. in connection
      with the introduction of a house arrest regime in Moscow and
      several other regions of Russia [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
6.  zabalaza: Webinar on world's health crisis: Zabalaza joins
      global anarchist-communist panel Saturday 11th April 2020
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
7.  AGAINST PANDEMIC AND CONTINUOUS CRIME OF THE STATE AND
      CAPITAL, SOCIETY WILL WIN! By APO (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
8.  Poland, rozbrat: FREEDOM AND VACCINES FOR EVERYONE! -
      Jaroslaw Urbanski [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
9.  Poland, zsp - Junk contracts and anti-crisis shield -
      another legal sell - COVID-19 Theory and practice [machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1



We continue with the weekly summary of texts from our FB . From the content: Detroit bus driver strike and Louvre museum staff, protests in
China after the release of measures, garbage collectors in Canada and the United States for health and safety, soap distribution in mutual
assistance between the International Labor Association (MAP) sections of Australia and Bangladesh, strike doctors and nurses in Zimbabwe due
to lack of protective equipment, info on the current situation in France from CNT-AIT (MAP France). ---- Detroit drivers and Louvre museum
staff refused to start work ---- Published: 23.3. ---- Today we have two reports of the fighting working during the coronary crisis.
On Tuesday, March 17, bus drivers in Detroit at both headquarters agreed not to start work without security measures. They left the
management "in no way - we need protection" and contacted their unions. The bus service in the city has stopped. They called the mayor and
scolded him that they were working in dangerous conditions. Within less than 24 hours they reached all their requirements. During the
crisis, tickets will not be checked, so drivers will not have to take money from people, getting in and out through the back door. The city
will also strengthen the cleaning staff and establish strict procedures for cleaning the premises.

The Slovak media also informed about the closing of the Louvre Museum. But let's talk a little bit more about the background. On 1 March,
the museum staff and the trade unionists refused to open the museum. At that time, France had only 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19, but
workers were worried about their safety as crowds of people go through the museums every day. After meeting with the leadership, 300 workers
gathered and voted to close the museum. For the next three days, the unions negotiated with management on the conditions of reopening. Trade
unionists advocated halving the number of visitors and masks and gloves for staff. The management mocked them. Finally, they agreed to
reopen on March 4, with people getting hand sanitary products, cash registers protected by glass, only card payments will be accepted and
the role of staff will no longer divide the crowds in front of Mona Lisa's image. The strike was preceded last year by interruption of work
due to overcrowded space in front of the picture (they reached the hiring of additional staff). In January, they were also involved in a
relay strike against planned government cuts in pensions. The museum was closed indefinitely following a government decision banning the rally.

Source:
https://labornotes.org/blogs/2020/03/strike-first-then-bargain Protests of workers in China after the release of measures Published: 24.3.
Returning to normal life in China means returning to protests. Their number is still small, but it should be taken into account that
although the incidence of the disease subsides, the coronavirus has not disappeared completely. The fact that there are any protests at all
is quite remarkable. In terms of sectors, most cases are in services and transport, where there were economic problems before the pandemic
broke out.

Taxi drivers were among the first. More than a thousand of them in the city of Liuzhou, southwest of the country, on March 10, demanded the
suspension of taxpayer fees and the possibility of selling their cars back to a taxi service. The reason for this is that there is not much
to carry, and therefore they do not have enough income. At the end of last year, taxi drivers were increasingly protesting (and sometimes
violently) against the bad situation caused by local government policy, the actions of taxis chiefs, and the competition of application and
non-licensed drivers.

Most of the protests after the loosening of the situation are, of course, delayed wages and layoffs. For example, medical staff at a private
hospital in C-po, Shandong Province protested on 9 March for paying wages over the last three months, pointing out that the hospital uses
medical supplies after the expiry date. In Beijing, workers objected to the introduction of compulsory leave to online service providers
58.com, which gave them a contribution of only 80 percent of the minimum wage in the region, which cannot be earned at all. Even the owners
of small shops and restaurants protested for a reduction in rent.

Workers involved in the construction of emergency hospitals in Wuhan were also claiming unpaid wages. In the city of Zhoukou, Henan
Province, construction workers claiming delayed payouts were even physically attacked.

There are more such cases. It seems that the question is not whether there will be a wave of protests after the coronac crisis in China, but
how big and successful it will be.

Source:
https://clb.org.hk/content/collective-protests-begin-flare-again-china-returns-work

Junkies in Hamiltone refuse to work for OSH
Published: 25.3.

More than half of the dumpsters in Hamilton, Canada, have agreed to not work on Monday 23 March. This decision was led by published
information that the virus can survive up to three days on different surfaces, including trash cans and special green baskets, which may
also contain hygiene needs. The garbage unions are asking the city to order the packaging of waste in green bins into plastic bags.
Scavengers also demand protective equipment, especially N95 (FFP3) respirators, but the city claims they have arrived and cannot guarantee
further supplies. It also introduces alternate shifts - the week is to be worked and the week is to be off. Junkies are supposed to walk in
two-man teams and with the same cars.

However, there are more problems. Garbage collectors also ran out of hand hygiene products. During breaks they used to wash their hands in
operations like McDonald's, but they are closed. Showers can only be used by four workers at a time, causing complications at the end of the
shift. Rubbishers are another profession that echoes and calls for better protection at a time when they are required to work.

Source:
https://www.rankandfile.ca/behind-the-work-refusal-by-hamilton-sanitation-workers

Mutual assistance between sections of the International Labor Association (MAP) from Australia and Bangladesh
Published: 26.3.

With the help of our friends from ASF in Australia, BASF began distributing soaps to poor workers in tea plantations in Bangladesh.
This is how cooperation between anarcho-syndicalist groups works.

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/iwa.ait/photos/a.10154630072171883/10156666965161883/

Doctors and nurses in Zimbabwe strike
Published: 27.3.

On Wednesday, March 25, just days after the announcement of the first COVID-19 occurrence in the country, doctors entered a strike at one of
Harare Central Hospital's largest hospitals and thousands of nurses.

The nurses' unions criticize the lack of protective equipment (N95 / FFP3 respirators, gloves, goggles and hygiene products) and water
supply outages. They also ask for bonuses for working in hazardous conditions. The leadership warned 48 hours before the strike, but there
was no sharp reaction. There is a long-term lack of equipment and medicines in the country, and there are concerns about the health system's
management of a pandemic.

On Wednesday, even customs officials refused to work at Harare International Airport. The reason is the same - lack of protective equipment.

Sources:
https://healthtimes.co.zw/2020/03/25/coronavirus-zim-doctors-nurses-down-tools-amid-covid-19-crisis/
https://citizen.co.za/news/ news-africa / 2260473 / zimbabwes-nurses-strike-over-lack-of-virus-protective-gear
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/25/africa/zimbabwe-doctors-nurses-ppe-strike/index.html

Short news from France: "We do not need your applause, but to be with us after the crisis in on the streets and fought against the government "
Published: 28.3.

Our sister association CNT-AIT in France informs us regularly about the situation in the country. Here is a short summary from yesterday.

In recent days, the government has been stepping up pressure on companies to force workers to return to robots. If the state were to pay all
who remained at home, bankruptcy could be at stake. Although many people resist pressure, most do not dare to defend themselves because they
are afraid of losing their jobs. An interesting situation is, for example, in the construction industry. Companies (many employ 2-5 people,
or are largely self-employed) do not want their staff to return to work. So it acts as a struggle between the state and the big business
against workers and small business owners.

Schools are now closed and taught over the Internet. However, this is a big problem for children from poor families, because not all of them
have access to a computer or the Internet. The question is also what will be after the crisis. The Ministry of Education apparently does not
know yet. Discontent is expected on the part of both teachers and non-teaching staff.

The situation in hospitals was described by friends of CNT-AIT as a "nightmare": no masks, no gloves, no protection when transporting
patients. All beds in the ARO departments are occupied and a high death rate is expected in the coming days. People spontaneously applaud
from the windows and balconies working in healthcare every night at eight. However, many say "we do not need your applause, but to be with
us after the crisis in the streets and to fight the government."

Police also make life difficult for people. Without a clear epidemiological justification or benefit, it mainly controls the inhabitants of
the poorer suburbs.

As regards workers' rights, the CNT-AIT reports that the government has introduced new laws which, inter alia, extended the working week to
60 hours (as opposed to 35 hours) and almost completely suspended holidays.

Source:
International Secretariat CNT-AIT France

Pittsburgh Waste Protector
Published: 28.3.

This week, we reported on a litter strike in Canada, and now we have a report on a similar action in the US. On Wednesday, March 25,
Pittsburgh garbage trucks blocked the entrances and exits of the Environmental Services Authority's parking lot. They asked for additional
staff, a risky surcharge and protective equipment (masks, better gloves and a few extra shoes).

The protest was due to misunderstandings. The garbage dumpers came to work as usual at five in the morning. However, the city ordered the
start of the shift to six, but did not tell the garbage collector. In addition, the angry garbage collectors knew that the wife of one of
their colleagues had a positive test for COVID-19 and the management did not respond to it. So they decided to collect all the technology
before the office, where they expressed their dissatisfaction and requirements regarding protection and hazardous work.

The sweeping action of the garbage collectors for less than two hours led to the city sending them home and paying them for the whole day as
it admitted a communication error on its side.

"All they care about is to take away garbage. Our health is stolen from them, "one of the workers said.

Source:
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2020/03/25/Pittsburgh-sanitation-workers-refusing-to-pick-up-trash-rally-protective-gear-coronavirus/stories/
202003250077

Union Direct Action

Related Articles:
COVID-19: Weekly Summary of Fights for Life, Health and Work (I.)

https://www.priamaakcia.sk/COVID-19-Tyzdenny-suhrn-bojov-za-zivot-zdravie-a-pracu-II-.html

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Message: 2


On April 1, 2020 So, we celebrate how we celebrate. We certainly did not imagine this ... We hope that postponed anniversary events will
take place this year and we will all meet. Coronacrisis crippled the whole society and as a union we found ourselves in an uncomfortable
situation when we had to reconsider what direction to take with limited human and time capacities. So what are we doing? Mutual assistance
We communicate mainly with people who have supported us in our activities and disputes in recent years. Now is the time to support them. We
inform about the struggles for life, health and work ---- For the third week on a daily basis, we bring to FB information on how workers
around the world are fighting the effects of the crisis. We consider it important to show that, even in these difficult times, it is
necessary to maintain a fighting spirit and not to lose hope. There is still much to fight for, now even more than ever.

We also publish texts on the website as weekly summaries (so far there have been two, see here:I. and II. ).

In the near future, we will also publish our latest brochure "How We Cope with Work Problems". Union Disputes Direct Action 2015-2019 ".

Hangouts are now online

We are getting used to the new situation and testing different possibilities. We've had several online meetings that were previously of an
internal nature. We are trying to catch technology-related flies and see what happens.

If you're interested in meeting us online, let us know if we're interested in it at this time. Contact: priamaakcia.sk/category/o-nas-kontakt/ .

Responding to the latest developments

For example,our response to SaS's coronary crisis solutions has had a huge impact on FB and has reached tens of thousands of people. We will
continue to respond similarly. We have more

ideas for

ideas, but their implementation will depend on the response we receive and the interest in helping with any action.

So all the best to all who keep fighting!

Union Direct Action

https://www.priamaakcia.sk/Dnes-oslavujeme-20-vyrocie-vzniku-nasho-zvazu.html

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Message: 3



Something this pandemic has revealed is just what we do and don't need. Down here where I live in Kent, Fenwicks (a luxury department store
in Canterbury), as well as most of the shops, are closed. Poor people can't usually afford to buy things from places like Fenwicks anyway,
but it just shows that we don't need these luxury places and their goods. ---- What we do need are essential goods like food (particularly
food that is nutritious and might boost our immune systems) and other useful products that we use in our day to day lives, as well as
medication, if we rely upon it. ---- We need infrasture (such as decent healthcare) and goods, but do we really need expensive luxuries?
Especially lines and lines of different types of expensive shampoo for example? I know Kropotkin wrote about the need for luxury, and he
made some very good points about that, but it's at times like this that our priorities seem to be revealed. In fact, during this crisis we
see that it is not luxuries that are in demand, but in fact the basic necessities in the stores.

We are told that we are all in it together and that there is a kind of ‘war effort' against this virus, but have we got our priorities in
place? A necessity right now, as much is missing from the supermarket shelves, is food and other goods, especially as food banks are short
of food. A vital necessary service that food chains could provide would be distributing food to the poor. This could be easily organized by
food chains and companies such as Greggs or McDonalds etc, who are ideally placed in our streets to do this, perhaps for free or at a
reduced price, they certainly have no shortage of profits. The fact that these food chains are in fact closed tells you much about the
priorities of the current system. If Food Not Bombs can organize this sort of thing then food chains, and even local councils and other
groups could do this - however it is the big food chains that have the funds and are equipped to do this. It is criminal, in a sense, for
these resources to go to waste, yet the bosses of these companies are doing nothing whilst sitting on massive profits at a time when the
rich are asking us to volunteer for service against this virus at great risk to ourselves, including people who have already retired. The
reality is, in this current time, under this system, there is no will to provide enough food for the public which is why the Mutual Aid
groups that have been set up are so important.

Regarding necessity, the government has classed some workers as ‘essential'. However they have excluded a whole list of workers that are
indeed essential, such as cleaners and support workers, carers and shop workers on zero hours contracts. Capitalism simply does not have its
priorities straight and it is more visible than ever before.

https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/03/27/capitalist-priorities/

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Message: 4



The Covid-19 epidemic and containment could have serious consequences for women. Indeed, the mobilization of hospitals to treat patients in
serious condition and the difficulties of already having access to contraception and abortion in normal times will place additional pressure
on a large number of women during this period of health crisis. ---- Services and structures closed for lack of means of protection ----
Access to abortion may become complicated for many women. Although considered an urgent care (especially because of the delays - 12 weeks of
pregnancy and 14 weeks of amenorrhea in France), many structures practicing abortion outside the hospital have closed their doors, caregiver
or material faults in sufficient numbers such as hydroalcoholic masks and gels. On the hospital side, the slots reserved for abortions in
operating theaters have been purely and simply eliminated, which therefore removes the possibility of abortion under general anesthesia.
Where access to abortion was already complicated due to the lack of professionals or local structures, aborting will become a real headache.

Secrecy threatened by containment
In addition, for those requesting secrecy, in particular minors, the relays allowing them to cover them in normal times (friend, school
nurse for example) are more complicated to mobilize in a period of exit ban. Indeed, how will a pregnant minor (or a major wishing to abort
against the advice of her partner or without telling her) explain to her family (or to the partner) that she must go out without giving the
reason? In addition, for minors, there is always a 48-hour reflection period (and therefore two meetings at least), as well as the
compulsory presence of a person of full age (who is not necessarily a parent ). Many doctors have asked for these obligations to be removed
in order to facilitate access to abortion for this particular public, but also to extend the deadlines for all (equal to the time that
confinement will last). Parliament's response was clear: we depart from the labor code to favor companies and shareholders, but there is no
question of adjusting the procedures or the deadlines for women wishing to have an abortion !

Limited trips impact abortions beyond the deadline
However for those who are already in a exceeded period, the possibility of aborting abroad (especially in the Netherlands and Spain where
the legal periods are longer, respectively 22 and 24 weeks of amenorrhea) becomes difficult without a personal vehicle. Indeed, the bus
lines, very used because of their low cost, no longer work or are sold out. Access to trains and planes is severely restricted and too
expensive for many women. For those who can get there by car, the conditions of the pass are drastic (you need the exit exemption with the
date of appointment at the clinic written on it, a letter from the clinic specifying that it is an intervention medical device, the identity
document, and finally show no symptoms of COVID-19,

No more prescription for birth control pills
As for contraception, women who had a pill prescription have it automatically extended for 3 months. It remains to be seen whether
pharmacies will play the game and not nitpick as some already do when it comes to delivering the emergency pill for free to minors. For
those who do not have contraception and plan to put one in place, this is always possible. However, many practitioners refuse new
appointments and many structures have closed or greatly reduced their hours and their activity.

Union Communiste Libertaire, 1 stApril 2020

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?IVG-et-contraception-un-casse-tete-pour-de-nombreuses-femmes

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Message: 5


The authorities finally threw off the democratic mask. By order of the authorities of Moscow and dozens of other regions, residents, under
the pretext of an epidemic of coronavirus, are forbidden to leave the apartments in which they live. This means the actual establishment of
a totalitarian regime. In Moscow alone, one and a half tens of millions of inhabitants of Europe's largest metropolis were under house
arrest, like de facto prisoners. ---- Those unfortunate or daredevils who cannot endure multi-day imprisonment in the four walls of their
small cells will be severely punished: from giant fines to imprisonment. Some cities have already introduced special permits for leaving
home; in Moscow, a similar "innovation" is being discussed. Methods of total surveillance and control are being introduced, which make us
recall the darkest pages of Orwell and dystopian cyberpunk.

The system of public health care in Russia, as in many other countries, was virtually destroyed or greatly weakened by politicians, proteges
of the rich, during the "optimizations" of recent decades. It is with this that problems have arisen almost throughout the world with the
treatment of not only hundreds of thousands, but even hundreds of seriously ill people. It is precisely with this situation that the mass
panic around the epidemic is associated with which the media and the ruling circles of various countries have demonstrated. They are trying
to solve these problems with short-term emergency measures (temporary reprofiling of existing hospitals and sanatoriums, temporary increase
in doctors' salaries, temporary investment in health care), without changing the overall socio-economic course pursued in the interests of
the largest capitalists and senior officials.

Today in Russia, the population has been punished by house arrest, job loss and the deprivation of the ability to live normally for not
adequately resisting the neoliberal "optimization" of the medical sphere: reducing beds, squeezing professionals out of healthcare,
eliminating emergency substations, selling research institutes, transferring to insurance option for the sale of medical services instead of
providing assistance, the destruction of the medical examination system and professional examinations, etc.

The totalitarian measures of the authorities become a heavy blow to the socio-economic situation of the working population. The shutdown of
many enterprises, firms and services deprives hundreds of thousands of workers of their livelihoods. In some places they are promised
material compensation, but its size is not enough for a decent life. Owners of many firms refuse to continue to pay salaries for downtime.
The most vulnerable parts of the working people are in a particularly difficult situation - those who work "informally", without contracts
and in the "shadow" sector of the economy: they won't get anything at all! Those who, on the contrary, are forced to continue to work (in
transport, in healthcare, in shops, etc.) are often deprived of basic means of protection against infection.

The authorities completely transferred the material burdens of the crisis situation to the shoulders of the working people. The ruling
oligarchy still does not want to force the rich to pay. Instead, she continues to levy new taxes on the small savings of people that they
could save for years.

In these difficult days, the Russian section of the International Workers Association expresses strong protest against the totalitarian
actions of the authorities and full solidarity with all working people. We are aware that under conditions of a general house arrest regime,
the possibility of massive and open resistance is small. But each person who is forced to sit at home today or continues to work, better
than others can realize his abilities and evaluate the potential of his actions.

Of course, an epidemic is an epidemic, even if its danger is hysterically exaggerated, and it is necessary to observe elementary norms of
individual hygiene. But all the more reason to demand from the authorities and bosses enhanced measures to ensure proper labor safety for
those who continue to work today: they must be provided with all protective equipment at the expense of bosses or the state, regular
sanitary treatment must be carried out, etc. We urge labor collectives to put forward these demands and resolutely pursue them, up to
organizing strikes where work is still ongoing.

Those who are forced to remain unemployed (temporarily or permanently) should continue to be paid salaries. This demand must be put at the
forefront! If the company or institution where people worked turns out to be ruined, this money should be paid by the state, since it made
people stop working. It may well take them from the multi-rich and billionaires!

Acceptable opportunities for people to make shop in stores and to walk that enhance their immunity should be sought. For those who have
actually been put under house arrest by the authorities, new forms of protest and resistance are unrelated to actions in the workplace, for
example, a housing and utility payments strike, similar to a tenants 'strike organized by Spanish anarcho-syndicalists on April 1!

And of course, mutual assistance "from below" remains the most important thing in conditions of forced social isolation and attempts by the
authorities to break our social ties: assistance in buying products for those who are not able to leave home, support for sick and
quarantined people, solidarity with each other.

We urge workers not to lose touch with each other, not to succumb to social exclusion imposed on us and to organize themselves - first in
social networks, and then - at the place of residence and, when the opportunity arises, at workplaces in order to assert their human and
labor rights and interests.

Our rights are not subject to quarantine!

Do not cry - organize!

https://aitrus.info/node/5431

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Message: 6


Are you bored sitting at home? Feel like you've watched everything on every streaming service twice over? ---- Instead of binging the same
series for the tenth time, join Black Rose/Rosa Negra as we launch our quarantine livestream. Over the coming weeks we'll be hosting a
series of live panel discussions on a variety of topics relevant to building popular power in precarious times. ---- On Saturday, April 11th
we'll be livestreaming a historic panel discussion on the current global health crisis, featuring delegates representing half a dozen
anarchist-communist organizations around the world. ---- Panelists include members of Solidaridad (Chile), Acción Socialista Libertaria
(Argentina), Black Rose Anarchist Federation (U.S.), Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (South Africa), Workers Solidarity Movement
(Ireland), Anarchist Federation (Britain), and Union Communiste Libertaire (France).

All of our livestream events will take place via Zoom webinar. Space is limited, so please register below. If you'd like to tune in, but
missed your chance to register, don't worry! Each one of our livestream events will simultaneously be broadcast via our YouTube channel,
which you can subscribe to here: http://tiny.cc/BRRNyoutube

If you'd like to attend the International Discussion on COVID-19 via Zoom, please register here: http://tiny.cc/intdiscussion

Otherwise, please tune in via our YouTube livestream!

We hope you'll join us for this and other exciting upcoming online events!

https://zabalaza.net/2020/04/03/webinar-on-worlds-health-crisis-zabalaza-in-global-anarchist-communist-panel-saturday-11th-april-2020/

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Message: 7


We have been confronted for several weeks with the specter of the deadly evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. A virus that mainly affects
vulnerable groups of the population, but not only. The great social majority is faced with the disease and thousands of people of our class
die massively worldwide, due to the lack of the necessary means of protection. ---- Today, the completely anti-social and deadly character
of the state and capitalist system is demonstrated, a system whose orientation is not to meet the needs of the social majority, but
especially in times of crisis, to deprive the base social and class of what it needs, to perpetuate its parasitic existence at the expense
of the latter, still committing a crime against it.
The plundering of enormous wealth and socially produced resources carried out by the economic and political elites, the over-concentration
of populations in large cities, labor camps, prisons and concentration camps for immigrants and refugees, under-functioning diachronic of
health systems, at a time when economic and political leaders keep for themselves the possibility of benefiting from the best possible care,
demonstrate that: The state and capitalist organization of society, which already condemns millions of people to the died by starvation,
disease and war, fights not against the evolving pandemic, but so that political and economic leaders safeguard their privileges and
position of power.

Moreover, this is also confirmed by the military announcements of the government, which daily recall the enormous blow in the economic field
which will be provoked by the crisis and endeavor to draw consensus from the social restructuring which they are preparing to be implemented
to support the capital from its drop in profitability. Under the pretext of the evolving pandemic, a new series of attacks against workers
and society is being prepared. What is presented today as "solidarity benefits" at the social base, it is we who will pay them, a thousand
times tomorrow, and that with disastrous consequences on the lives of millions of people who will have left injured from this the uneven
battle of our time.

Because, in reality, the battle against the pandemic is fought by the social and class base, despite the unfavorable conditions imposed by
the authorities. The battle against the evolution of the pandemic is fought by all those who, understanding the danger for their neighbors,
take the necessary measures of individual and collective self-protection, giving part of their meager wages to buy what should be directly
accessible to all. It is delivered by doctors and nurses who offer all their energy at the cost of enormous personal fatigue and the risk of
their lives to save the lives of others. It is delivered by workers who are forced to go to work, by delivery men, by those who work in
catering, transportation,

It is the social and class base which, in this extremely difficult situation, reveals its enormous potential, in struggling to resist the
pandemic in conditions of generalized poverty and misery. And it is the state and capital that continue to reproduce, constituting not the
solution to the pandemic, but the obstacle to face it: it is they who deprive the majority of the population of food, medical and
pharmaceutical equipment, human forces available in this battle, devaluing human lives and speculating on death. The only thing they have to
promise is the complete militarization of society, the repression of those who survive. They are already preparing the next massacres,
imposing dystopia, funding armies instead of hospitals, cops instead of doctors. They favor businesses and employers, while further
plundering workers' conquests, through arbitrariness and employer impunity which are increasing in the middle of a pandemic, through
layoffs, moonlighting, overexploitation. Even today, they advance in their repressive operations against activists and immigrants, they beat
up and seriously injure the anti-fascists, as in Rethymno (in Crete).

They are the ones who, for years, have been trying to dismantle public health structures, through underfunding, layoffs and hospital
closings. The result is a huge lack of intensive care units compared to actual needs. The doctors and nurses who work are fighting a
gigantic battle and we support all their demands. We demand the immediate and unconditional recruitment (instead of fixed-term contracts and
voluntary work) of medical and nursing staff and the provision of all the resources and means necessary to meet the needs of the population
in terms of care, the recognition of heavy and unhealthy character of their trade,

Ce sont l'Etat et le capital qui ont incarcéré des dizaines de milliers de personnes, en leur imposant des conditions de vie extrêmement
dangereuses. Leur santé, en raison des conditions d'incarcération, est encore plus menacée et nous ne tolérons pas leur traitement en tant
que populations à exterminer. Nous exigeons des mesures de soutien immédiates pour les prisonniers et le désencombrement des prisons. Nous
exigeons la libération des réfugiés et des immigrés emprisonnés dans des camps de concentration, la réquisition des grands hôtels vides pour
leur logement afin qu'ils soient protégés contre la pandémie, la création de structures de santé spéciales pour tous et pour toutes.

They are the ones who impoverished workers and the unemployed so that the latter are faced with the specter of famine. We demand the
reimbursement of wages for all workers, regardless of the state of the company in which they work and special care for the poor and
unemployed. It is imperative to requisition all the available resources of social wealth that economic and political bosses have stolen to
make them available to the social body.

The possible continuation of the campaign of repression carried out by the State against the militants and against the structures of
struggle, in this condition, falls under the category of war crimes and it is as such that it will be registered. and processed. Arrests and
arrests by bastards from the Ministry of Public Order mean that they do not hesitate, knowingly and in a premeditated manner, to endanger
the lives and health of activists and, therefore, parts of society, in order to achieve their long-term goals.

Collectively and individually self-protecting, in the midst of an unprecedented situation that endangers the lives of many, does not in any
way mean submitting to the objectives of the state and the capitalist dictatorship which will want to impose even more onerous conditions on
the great social majority. Our self-containment at home is prescribed by our social conscience which is absolutely sincere, contrary to the
hypocritical interest of the State and the bosses who still force a large part of the social base and class to go to work at risk real life,
when their type of work is not linked to the imperative needs of society and which put the population in quarantine, while doing nothing to
improve the health system, whether through the recruitment of personnel and the supply of medical equipment or the opening of new intensive
care units. The guarantors of social conscience and solidarity are not, and could never be, the State and the police.

Nous mettons en avant la création de groupes de solidarité spéciaux, en prenant toutes les mesures de protection nécessaires, afin d'aider
les plus vulnérables dans leurs besoins de base.

The resources for the protection of society remain and it is we, the workers, who have produced them, but their management is in the hands
of a minority that has repeatedly displayed its indifference to human life, when their power and their profits come into play. Since we know
that the state and capital are only obliged to provide the elementary under social pressure - because they prefer to maintain the power and
the wealth of a thin minority rather than health and the lives of several thousand people - we will go out into the streets, when reasons of
conscience prescribe it, to fight for life and against death, taking all necessary individual and collective precautionary measures against
the pandemic.

The struggle of the social base and class against the epidemic is the first necessary step so that life continues to exist. It will be
necessary to wage a second battle, against the state and capitalist system which imposed the conditions making the spread of the virus much
more deadly, much more massive, and which today imposes absolute control over us.

Solidarity, mutual aid and the fight cannot be prohibited or quarantined. Class warfare, particularly on the part of those in power, has not
been quarantined and there must be no unilateral cessation.

We will, as human beings and not as individualized cannibals, as resistant and not as resigned and frightened, as anarchists, continue the
struggle for a society of equality, by putting forward the protection of the vulnerable, the primary interest for social needs, for the
prosperity of society against that of a caste of powerful leading humanity to the dystopia of death, misery and control.

Dismissed person, homeless person, hungry person, abandoned person alone in the face of the pandemic

NO STEPS BACKWARDS FACING OUR NEEDS!

EVERYTHING FOR ALL:

FOOD, HEALTH, HOUSING

AGAINST THE DYSTOPIA OF MODERN TOTALITARISM, AGAINST THE BARBARITY OF THE STATE AND OF THE CAPITAL PRODUCING DEATH ...

SOCIAL SOLIDARITY AND CLASS SELF-ORGANIZATION

POLITICAL ANARCHIST ORGANIZATION - FEDERATION OF COLLECTIVES

MARCH 2020

http://apo.squathost.com/contre-la-pandemie-et-le-crime-continu-de-letat-et-du-capital-la-societe-gagnera

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Message: 8



It turns out that the constitution does not protect our freedoms in times of greatest danger. Currently, the state of the epidemic is being
used to deprive us of civil and social rights. When we are isolated at home and observed in the streets, when we are not allowed to gather
and protest, the authorities are devastating the current system and trampling the remnants of freedom, arguing that it is for our good.
However, there was no dictatorship that would say otherwise. Nor does it mean that there will be no social rebellion just because it will be
banned. ---- Despite the fact that Poles are self-disciplined, they are still being taught that they are not enough. I read that 700 people
broke quarantine on the last 24 hours, but it is less than 0.3% of all people covered by it. He is frightened by the Italian example, which
turned out to be a propaganda fake. It is not true that society is threatening itself. From the point of view of illness, this year's skiing
expeditions to the Alps were a greater threat to Italy and Europe. Of course, the part of society that could afford it. Or the fact that in
Italy health care had a dramatically small number of ventilators - the effect of austerity policies. Shortage of equipment, staffing and
knowledge in this area caused a complete collapse of the health care system and high mortality. Ultimately, it turns out that other
countries are following the Italian path, like Spain or - being a model of discipline for every Pole - Germany, and probably also France and
Great Britain. Also in the US, as we know, the virus is spreading very quickly. Perhaps Poland is also following this path.
Politicians and high-ranking officials were surprised by the epidemic. To hide their incompetence and complete lack of counteracting
strategy for COVID-19, they put us in corners and grant each other, without asking for their opinion, further competences. They work in
panic and chaotic. They do not know exactly when it will accumulate or how long the disease will last, what the effect will be and whether
the epidemic will return in the fall or not. Although they had had time to prepare for the coronavirus attack since at least February, they
had done nothing. It is evident that the representatives of the power camp listened to the voice of their mentor from overseas, who repeated
over and over that we were safe, because China is far enough. These are probably the last grunts of occasional contempt. I think they were
inclined to even recognize that coronavirus is another invention of the "leftists". When the problem hit them, they reacted only in a way
possible for them - flexing their muscles because they had a void in their heads.

Today, the only thing the power elite know is how to deprive us of our rights and freedoms. How to overcome the problem with propaganda. At
the same time, we are preparing regulations to save the economic, middle-class status quo - the foundation of today's governance. Solutions
clearly favoring large and small businesses are being introduced. The exploitation of employees is to become, once again, a flywheel of the
reviving economy after a pandemic - a source of accumulation and new fortunes.

On the other hand - this is becoming clearer - the driving force behind the actions is the fear of post-solidarity nomenclature of losing
power. A pandemic can completely change the political system not only in the world but also in Poland. It turns out that in our country it
was neither very good after 1989 (as PO supporters say), nor will it be better (as PiS supporters say). We say goodbye to the myth of both
the Third and the Fourth Polish Republic. The elites usually react similarly. Democracy and the constitution were good for them, as long as
they defended their power gained 30 years ago. Today, they no longer intend to follow these principles when political ground is removed from
their feet. The slogan begins to dominate: to maintain power at all costs, even after the dead.

Of course, the question arises, what will be the answer to the current crisis? Closed borders, strong central power, and national egoism can
become the new cornerstone of politics and ideology. However, is such a system a response to global warming, an epidemic threat, the specter
of hunger and increasing armed conflicts? Probably not. We've been through this. The solutions proposed by the right wing - in the long run
- will only deepen the ecological and economic collapse, class and international conflicts will intensify. They mark the return of
nightmares from the previous century. Therefore, we should demand a fair global order, the abolition of class barriers and divisions, more
freedom and equality - freedoms and vaccines for everyone!

https://www.rozbrat.org/publicystyka/kontrola-spoeczna/4709-wolnosc-i-szczepionki-dla-wszystkich

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Message: 9


How much are government promises worth that employees suddenly deprived of income will not be left alone? Will the government, which has not
decided so far to abolish toxic waste contracts, now take it? To try to answer these questions, let's look at some of the provisions adopted
on March 28 this year by the Sejm. "Crisis Shield". ---- Before proceeding to the analysis of the current situation of "garbage" employees,
let us recall the basics. Junk employment is one in which employment contracts, with certain guarantees regarding employment stability, have
been replaced by mandate contracts without these guarantees, contracts for specific work or B2B settlements ("on invoice"). Colloquially
speaking, junk contracts. I will use this term without quotation marks, because it reflects well the substandard quality of such employment.
This junk has never been as clearly visible as in the time of sudden crisis.

What is the employment relationship?

The matter is quite clearly defined in Article 22 of the Labor Code. It is a "commitment to perform a specific type of work for and under
the direction of the employer and at the place and time designated by the employer." It is worth noting that management does not have to be
direct and does not have to rely on each specific task and does not necessarily mean the physical presence of the supervisor. It is
important, however, that the employee is subordinate to work, performs work in person, in a place (e.g. office, point of service) indicated
by the employer and at certain working hours. Other important features of an employment relationship include making due efforts (rather than
providing a specific service), compliance with work regulations, and the use of tools provided by the employer. The employee is not an
independent entrepreneur, who can organize his work in any way, hire subcontractors, use his own materials and tools to achieve the agreed
work result. Pretending that an employee is an entrepreneur is a pathological practice on the labor market, an obvious fraud and fiction
that aims to reduce labor costs. The price for this is depriving the employee of paid holiday and sick leave (if he decides not to lower the
net salary and optional insurance), years of service calculated to the amount of the pension, as well as, which is extremely important in
the case of the COVID-19 epidemic, remuneration for the parking period . The employee's option to choose a particular contract is absent in
many industries. Junk contracts and other forms of illegal employment are commonly imposed on employees in industries such as catering and
all types of services. For decades, the authorities looked through their fingers at these illegal practices that depleted the state budget
in the name of misunderstood "economic development". However, this development was based on a model of low-paid and insecure work. This
model has just collapsed before our eyes, leaving, according to various estimates, more than a million people overnight with no sources of
income.

IMPORTANT: If the employee performed work on the terms of an employment relationship, you can apply to the court to determine the existence
of the employment contract and to pay all benefits in this respect. See our article on the example of security guards: What should security
guards do on a junk contract that the boss doesn't pay?

Garbage collection has many aspects and deprives employees of many rights, but let's focus on what seems to be the most urgent need:
remuneration for the time when the employee cannot work through no fault of his own.

Parking pay

For comparison, let's remind you what guarantees of parking pay are provided for in the Labor Code for employees on a contract of
employment. The case is governed by art. 81 of the Labor Code. Pursuant to this provision, an employee for the period of non-performance of
work, if he was ready to perform it and could not perform it for reasons related to the employer (and such reasons include the closure of
the workplace due to an epidemic state) is entitled to 100% of the basic salary, without any allowances and bonuses. If the basis of
remuneration with an hourly or monthly rate has not been determined, the parking remuneration cannot be lower than PLN 2,600 gross (this is
the minimum remuneration from January 1, 2020).

We already know from signals that reach the Association of Polish Syndicalists that employers, expecting the need to pay parking wages,
force employees to sign termination of employment contracts by agreement of the parties or statements changing the working time from
full-time to quarter-time, etc.

Signing such denunciations by agreement of the parties is highly detrimental to employees, as they deprive them of the possibility of
claiming their full pay due to parking, and in the event of termination of the employment contract by agreement of the parties, they also
lose the right to unemployment benefit.

Notwithstanding the above, the current situation of employees who have worked on employment contracts is legally much stronger than
employees on junk contracts.

Who is entitled to the parking allowance proposed by the government?

Most employees have heard the assurances of Prime Minister Morawiecki regarding the "parking" payment for employees on junk contracts. What
does the case look like in the light of the draft Act on COVID-19, which was adopted on March 28 this year by the Sejm and is waiting for
approval by the Senate?

 From art. 15zq section 5 of the COVID-19 Act, "a person performing a civil law contract is entitled to a parking benefit if the civil law
contract was concluded before February 1, 2020." Here the first difficulty appears. After all, people working on junk contracts sometimes
sign contracts every month, often in arrears (i.e. they work without a contract for some time, although this is not legal). What about
people who worked, for example, for 3 years with one employer, but signed new contracts every month? Does the parking benefit include them?
The regulations in this case are not clear enough, which may lead to the rejection of applications of persons whose last contract was
signed, e.g. just before the outbreak.

The analogy to continuity of employment in the case of subsequent fixed-term employment contracts may come in handy in this matter. Article
25 (1) of the Labor Code specifies the maximum duration or number of successive fixed-term employment contracts, followed by the law of
indefinite employment contract. This means that the Labor Code treats the entire period of employment with one employer as a continuity,
regardless of the fact that this period was covered by a number of fixed-term contracts. Certainly the continuity of contributions to the
Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) for the entire period of employment is of great importance for an employee in terms of entitlement to
receive sickness benefits. But can the provisions of the Labor Code by analogy be applied to junk contracts? Without the court's prior
determination of an employment relationship based on an employment contract? Such an approach would undermine the sense and purpose of the
parking service proposed by the government. Were the employees condemned to sue all employers who employed them for a long period of time on
junk contracts despite having an employment relationship?

Let us assume, however, that this first problem has been solved and an employee working on a junk contract will receive a parking benefit.
Another condition is that the income from the civil law agreement should not be higher than 300% of the average monthly salary from the
previous quarter (according to the Central Statistical Office). This average salary for the month of February 2020 was PLN 5 530.48. The
income threshold is therefore PLN 16,591.44. Most employees won't have the trouble to fit under this threshold.

The amount of parking allowance for junk contracts

How much will this benefit be compared to the parking benefit under the employment contract? As we have seen above, the parking benefit
under the employment contract cannot be lower than PLN 2,600 gross, i.e. PLN 1,921 "on hand".

According to Art. 15zr. Act on COVID-19, parking benefit is payable in the amount of 80% of the minimum remuneration for work. At the
moment, it is PLN 2080 (it will be free from deductions and executions). However, if in the month preceding the submission of an application
for parking benefit the sum of revenues is less than 50% of the minimum wage (i.e. less than PLN 1,300), the parking benefit will be only as
much as the sum of revenues generated in the previous month.

This is another rather strange record. After all, employees lost the opportunity to earn money at the end of March. The act, after being
passed by the Sejm, waits 30 days for possible approval by the Senate. From the moment of its adoption, another time will pass before the
authorized persons submit an application for payment of the parking allowance (about it below). Thus, in the month immediately preceding the
submission of the application, employees may not receive any income and be left without any means of subsistence for the months of April,
May and maybe even June. What amount of parking benefit is offered to them if they have no income? It seems that this possibility has not
been thought of, which seems unbelievable.

But even if this obvious defect of the Act were removed and the time prior to February 1, 2020 were taken as the previous employment period,
then employees could be on unpaid sick leave and not achieve full income. Their parking allowance would then be unduly underestimated.
Therefore, the best solution would be to set one level of parking allowance.

Who submits the application?

Now it's time for the real icing on the cake. In accordance with art. 15zs item 2, the application for payment of the parking benefit is
submitted via, NOTE, employer. They cannot be submitted directly by an employee who is vitally interested in paying out these funds. Other
regulations indicate that ZUS will require employers to register non-filed work contracts for inspection. The control of illegal work
contracts is obviously good, but let's be honest: which employer using illegal work contracts in the case of an employment relationship will
forward to ZUS an application for parking benefit for employees, if any of them was covered by a work contract? This recipe additionally
guarantees the fiasco of the entire program.

Summary

Adopted regulations are a mockery of employees. Many people employed on junk contracts will not be able to benefit from the parking
allowance. Labor courts will remain the only way to fight for remuneration, as part of actions to establish the existence of an employment
relationship and payment of benefits due, including parking pay under an established employment contract. However, the state of the epidemic
means that most courts have suspended their proceedings. Ongoing and so long trials (minimum one year) will be postponed to the end of the
epidemic, and even then the chaos in the courts will make it very difficult to assert your rights. Nevertheless, such a procedure remains
the only possibility to enforce the benefits due to employees in the event of a complete failure of the government assistance program. The
Act also does not take any step towards replacing by virtue of the law junk contracts for employment contracts, which seems to be more and
more necessary in the pathological situation in which the Polish labor market finds itself. It also seems that introducing a basic income in
this situation would be much more sensible and less costly to administer.

See also: Crisis junk employment - you need decisive action | What kills us - coronavirus and capitalism

Jakub Zaczek
ZSP ZW - Warsaw

https://zsp.net.pl/umowy-smieciowe-i-tarcza-antykryzysowa-kolejny-bubel-prawny

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