Warsaw. The employees of the hostel on Paluch criticize volunteers, open letter

There is a conflict between volunteers and the management of the Warsaw hostel in Paluch. After the first ones protested a few days ago before the Sejm, the employees took the floor. Dozens of people in an open letter are opposing the actions of volunteers. They write about the “harmful narrative” and hate speech aimed at them. ”

The conflict of some volunteers with subsequent directors of the homeless animal shelter in Paluch takes several years. Finally, the shelter employees decided to pass their opinion, sending an open letter to the media.

“In connection with a significant increase in false information appearing in the media, facts manipulation and slander, we, employees of the shelter on Paluch, want to present our position, because we already have enough of a unilateral, harmful narrative and hate speech aimed at us” – wrote the shelter employees.

They emphasized that they are on the side of the management and disagree with the actions of some volunteers.

They want “calmly deal with their duties”

“We are determined and solidarity to support the changes introduced by director Agnieszka Pinkiewicz, hoping that they will allow the conflict that has been going on with the social side for many years and will finally allow us to calmly deal with our duties” – they added.

They reminded that in connection with the conflict with volunteers from the second half of 2021, talks are underway to work teams or the Social Dialogue Council established in 2022.

“Therefore, it is difficult to accuse the shelter management or the parent organs, unless we accept the narrative of the social side, which calls the dialogue to the management and the city of pressure by spreading lies in public space,” the employees wrote.

They also reported that previous directors were somehow forced to develop compromises with the social side. Which was personally confirmed by director Henryk Strzelczyk.

“Giving way to the next, uncomfortable demands for the shelter was aimed at deestering conflicts and calming the social side. As you can see, this did not have effect, because regardless of this volunteers still thought and believe that they have too little influence on the decisions made in the shelter” – they noted.

What about the adoption of sick animals?

They also referred to volunteers' allegations against veterinarians and access to medical data. They explained that, in accordance with applicable law, the only bodies assessing the correctness of the course of treatment and the possible possibility of making a mistake are the spokesperson for professional liability, and then the Medical and Veterinary Court, not volunteers, who had submitted to the spokesperson a request to initiate explanatory proceedings several times.

“Each time the case was rejected or discontinued due to a lack of evidence to make a mistake in medical and veterinary art,” the employees wrote in the letter.

They also noted that it is not true, which is accused by volunteers that the adoption of old and sick animals are refused.

“For doctors, the first and primary duty is to limit the suffering of the animal and restore his health, unfortunately sometimes in justified cases the only possibility is humanitarian help in the departure” – they wrote, adding that everything depends on the animal's condition and often the doctors and guardians signaled the necessity themselves urgent adoption of animals that hardly endured stay in the shelter.

These were the allegations of volunteers refusing to provide them with access to patients' medical data, emphasizing that it would be contrary to the position of the Warsaw Chamber of Medical and Veterinary.

Cat mortality, comparative data

Volunteers accuse an increase in mortality among shelter cats. Employees provided data from which it shows that, according to the data of scientists from Brno, the average mortality of cats in Czech shelters, where, like in Poland, only suffering animals and impossible animals are subjected to euthanasia, are 33 percent, of which three -quarters have died or subjected to Euthanasia during the first month of stay in the shelter, which is translated by a bad state at the time of acceptance.

In the shelter on Paluch in subsequent years cats mortality in 2021 – 12 percent, in 2022 – 11 percent, in 2023 – 11.5 percent, in 2024 – 14 percent. Similarly to the quoted studies, over three quarters of animals were euthanasia or died during the first month of stay in the shelter. For comparison, the average mortality of cats in shelters in Sweden is 10 percent, and in Brazil 40 percent.

“In 2024, the percentage of cat death actually increased slightly, but not in such a dramatic way as volunteers show. 2024 was a serious year for our cat patients, we recorded almost double the increase in death caused by infectious diseases. The increased percentage of cases and death caused by various viruses was Also noted in urban clinics, “they explained.

They said that there were also accusations of volunteers regarding the decline in adoption.

“Cat adoption factor in 2024 amounted to 68 percent, where in previous years 84 percent in 2023, 68 % in 2022, 69 percent in 2021, which suggests rather not so much a drastic decrease in adoption until 2023, but Rather, their unusual growth in 2023 ” – they added.

Mobbing, hate, harassment

Finally, they raised the matter of mobbing, hate and hate speech.

“We work in a 24-hour system on holidays, weekends, nights, often in the sake of the good of the pupils, we neglect our private lives. Meanwhile, in the media we are presented as calculated officials, disappeared, murderers derived pleasure and satisfaction with killing animals”-they accused the employees in the list .

They noted that for many years volunteers have been conducting profiles in social media, where employees are challenged, harassed, talked, wishes for the death of their children and families, all with the consent of volunteering.

“We are often accused of attempts to silence volunteering, the desire to hide the truth and violate the constitutional right to freedom of speech, while the same people break our rights to protect private life, honor and good name. And above all, our constitutional right to secure and hygienic working conditions ” – stressed the employees.

34 animal carers, two warehousemen, driver, rehabilitator, 14 veterinarians (including two external specialists in the field of cardiology and imaging), six veterinarian technicians, 11 veterinarian technicians, 11 veterinarian technicians, 11 veterinarian technicians, 11 employees of the Adoption Office and 14 Adoption Office and 14 administrative employees – three employees from promotion , three employees from volunteering, including a volunteer coordinator, three staff employees and Accounting, two employees for living care and the economic section, an employee of didactics, an archive employee and a secretariat service worker.

About 60 people signed the letter.

Volunteer protest, town hall response

On Thursday, a group of volunteers protested before the Sejm, accusing the management of, among others decrease in the percentage of adoption, increase in cat mortality, ruin the adoption program and carelessness of animal welfare.

The capital city hall referred to these allegations, informing, among others, that the admission and adoption office of the hostel in Paluch operates daily in 24 hours a day, actions encouraging adoption are carried out, e.g. adopt a Varsovian and a number of other events that allow for Getting to know the charges of the shelter.

He also explained that access to full medical data was limited to volunteers because “according to the opinion of the Medical and Veterinary Chamber, the applicable legal provisions do not allow the possibility of providing the full range of data to bystanders-without control and supervision in the context of potential use.” He added that the practice of sharing epicrys to volunteers is not used in any Polish shelter.

The conflict in the Paluch shelter has been going on for several years. In May 2021, we informed About the volunteer open list to the then director of the facility Henryk Strzelczyk. It was signed by over 250 people who expressed concern with recent changes in the shelter. A new point of the regulations has become a disputed issue, allowing those applying for adoption to an objection to the opinion of an employee or volunteer of the hostel.

In October last year Volunteers, in turn, protested in front of the town hall. During the protest, they expressed their concerns about the adoption of sick cats, which – in their opinion – are deprived of the opportunity to find a new home in which their condition could significantly improve.