11-13 September in Poznań
Hi there workmates!
Amazon Workers from Poland and Germany are inviting to a meeting and debate about workers’ anger, workplace struggles and organising.
Ever since Amazon opened its first German Fulfillment Center (FC) in Bad Hersfeld in 1999 management have been threatening to shut down the plant. In the meantime however it has opened eight new FCs in Germany, four in France, one in Italy, three in Poland (2014) and one in the Czech Republic (2015).
There have been more than 20 strikes in six German and French FCs alone over the last two years. These strikes and other workplace actions have been hurting Amazon and have already led to improved working conditions and slowly rising wages in some FCs. Amazon has responded by shifting work to other FCs in Germany or across the borders to France and Poland.
There is also a constant flow of false information about wages, work norms and premiums in other FCs. We don’t want Amazon to cheat us or to set us up against our workmates from neighbouring countries.
That is why we call for a meeting in order to get to know each other and organise across the borders. We want to talk about details regarding wages, premiums and norms and compare conditions across FCs. We want to collect information about collective actions like T-shirt actions, petitions, “talking to lorry drivers” when they load and unload, as well as strikes. We also want to debate which actions were useful and which might have been mistakes to be avoided next time. And lastly we also want to talk about how we can coordinate our actions on an international
level in the future.
Programme:
The meeting will begin on Friday afternoon with a collective leafleting action in Poznan. On Friday evening we will invite the public and selected media to an open meeting to inform about the situation in different FCs. We would also like to have a common debate with workers from other plants and everyone interested, obviously including future Amazon workers.
On Saturday and Sunday we will have discussions in the general assembly of all participants as well as in smaller workshops.
Languages:
The meeting will be in Polish, German, French and English. All languages are welcome. We will invite many interpreters.
Amazon workers united!
Timetable:
| Friday 11 September | |||||||||||
| 19:30-22:00 | OPEN MEETING
“Workers struggles at Amazon in Poland, Germany und France Workers from different Amazon distribution centres talk about how we want to organise. We invite the public and media to an open meeting in which we will inform about the situation in different FCs. We would also like to have a common debate with workers from other plants and everyone interested, obviously including future Amazon workers. Admission free Place: Teatr Ósmego Dnia, entry from ul. Ratajczaka 44 (2nd storey) |
||||||||||
| Saturday 12 September | |||||||||||
| 11:00-12:00 | PROTEST/HAPPENING
“We are not robots!” Amazon workers united for better working conditions! Place: pl. Wolności, stairs to the Arkadia |
||||||||||
| 12:00-18:30 | INTERNATIONAL AMAZON WORKERS MEETING
Place: Teatr Ósmego Dnia, entry from ul. Ratajczaka 44 (2nd storey) |
||||||||||
| 21:00 | Get-together
Place: Café-Club Meskalina, Stary Rynek 6 |
||||||||||
| Sunday 13 September | |||||||||||
| 10:00-14:00 | INTERNATIONAL AMAZON WORKERS MEETING
Place: Teatr Ósmego Dnia, entry from ul. Ratajczaka 44 (2nd storey) |
||||||||||
| 14:00 | Lunch | ||||||||||
Organisational questions:
- Sleeping: 2 nights in a hostel including breakfast cost 80 to 100
zlotys (20 to 25 euros) - Fees: Participant fee including food appr. 40 zlotys (10 euros)
- Travel expenses: Every group pays for its own travel expenses
- Registration: until 28 August 2015
amazing workers 