Ryszard Petru posted an entry on the X website, formerly Twitter, showing that he had applied to work in one of the Biedronka chain stores. He previously argued that “this is not about politics”, and that it was a gesture intended to open a discussion about the fact that all work is important.
Ryszard Petru announced on Friday that he had signed it contract of mandate to work on Christmas Eve in one of Warsaw's discount stores. On Monday, via social media, Petru invited everyone to go shopping at one of the discount stores.
He also talked about the details of his work in an interview with Radio Zet on Monday. He argued that he decided to take such a step because it is “a gesture that is intended to open a discussion about the fact that all work is important.” – I'm doing it because I was asked if I could. This is a way of showing that I am capable, he added. – This is not about politics, but real experience – he declared.
When asked whether his work at the cash register would be broadcast live, he replied that he “would not do it personally”, but “several such broadcasts will appear.”
On Tuesday, December 24, after 7 a.m. on the X portal, formerly Twitter, an entry appeared on the MP's profile with a photo from the back of one of the Biedronka chain stores. It shows the MP wearing a work sweatshirt.
After several minutes, another entry appeared on the MP's account with a photo and the description “I start by baking bread.”
We also received a photo sent to the editorial office by a reader who met the MP while shopping.
MP Ryszard Petru in a Warsaw supermarketKontakt24/ Marciniak
Contract and rate
The MP also said that he would give the address of the discount store where he would work on Tuesday, but noted that it would be “in the south of Warsaw, on the left side of the Vistula.” He added that his work would last until 1 p.m. – I have an hourly rate of PLN 29 and a signed contract – he said, noting that “he will do what every cashier in a store does (…) put out the goods, prepare and put out the bread.”
Petru also announced that he would donate the clothes he received from his employer to the auction of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. He has not yet decided how to spend his remuneration.
According to the MP, the president Andrzej Duda “is dissatisfied with the fact that in exchange for Christmas Eve off, there will be an additional day of work.” – A free Christmas Eve next year will be troublesome for many Poles who are accustomed to shopping – small, but still on Christmas Eve – he added and emphasized that the president should not sign the act.
Discussion on a free Christmas Eve
The discussion about making December 24 a day off for all employees, including employees of retail outlets this year, sparked a lot of discussion. Petru consistently opposed this proposal.
In response to this position, OPZZ Confederation Labor applied to the company's management board for the possibility of employing Petru in the Warsaw Kaufland in Bemowo. “We want the MP to learn about the specific nature of work in the trade and face the difficulties that supermarket employees experience on a daily basis,” it was emphasized in a letter addressed to the company's management board.
Ryszard Petru announced via social media in November that he was waiting for proposals on this matter, and last week he announced that he had signed a contract to work on Christmas Eve in one of Warsaw's discount stores.
Parliament's decision, waiting for the president
In November, the Sejm passed an amendment providing for the establishment of December 24 as a day off for all employees, including employees of commercial establishments, for whom, in accordance with the Act on Restriction of Trade on Sundays and Holidays, Christmas Eve is a working day until 2 p.m. The amendment also provides that from 2025 . three Sundays before Christmas Eve will be commercial. The Sejm also adopted the Senate's amendment, which assumes that in December a trade employee will not be able to work more than two Sundays.
Recently, President Andrzej Duda indicated that he was in favor of making Christmas Eve a day off from work, but the act passed by the parliament contained “significant modifications” compared to the initial draft. He expressed regret that despite the introduction of a free Christmas Eve, the three Sundays preceding the holiday are to be working days for trade.
When asked on Monday on RMF FM whether he would sign the act, the president emphasized that he had held a meeting with the social side during which a number of objections were raised. As he explained, the votes supporting the act and those against it were divided almost equally.
Main photo source: X