Beko announced in early September that will close two large plants in Poland – in Wrocław and Łódź. A total of 1,800 people are to lose their jobs, of which 1,100 are employed at the Łódź factory. Friday's picket is a form of protest against the plans of the household appliance manufacturer.
“It was supposed to be milk and honey, but there was a group layoff from Beko”
The protesting employees carried “Solidarity” flags, trumpets, whistles and banners. One of them reads that “it was supposed to be honey and milk, but instead there was a group layoff from Beko”. Some of the employees had signs with the words “Single mother”, “Working marriage”, “Mortgage loan” or “The Sole Breadwinner.”
– In this way, we wanted to show who will soon lose their jobs. Many of the employees have worked in these plants for over 20 years. I started working there when I was 27, and I'm leaving when I'm almost 50. What should I do now? How do I find my place on the job market? What are my chances of finding a job at this age? new work? And there are hundreds of people in such a situation – Graczyk told PAP – he said in an interview with Polish Press Agency the head of Solidarity in the Łódź Beko plant, Sebastian Graczyk. The chairman of Solidarity in the Łódź region, Waldemar Krenc, added that the aim of the protests is to fight “to save this plant, to ensure that these people do not lose their jobs”. And if that fails, then for “decent severance pay”.
Beko management in Poland will talk to employees about severance pay, among other things.
On Friday, the first part of talks with trade unions and employee representatives in the company began regarding severance pay. Wroclaw. The same talks are to start in Łódź on Monday. Production at the Łódź plant is to be completed by April 30 next year. – Our priority is to support our employees during this transition with full transparency and empathy – said Francesco Celentano, Senior Director Operations Northern Area at Beko Europe, after the company announced the optimization of its production operations in Poland. Two plants will be closed establishments: a Wrocław refrigerator factory and a Łódź branch producing cookers, dryers and plastic components, where 1,100 people will be laid off. Beko explained that it was forced to close these branches because they were generating financial losses.