– The first thought about bankruptcy is that the management probably did something wrong. It is not true that Bama Poland invested badly, spent money “to the left”, and the president did not know how to manage – says Justyna, a former employee of the Gorzów factory, in an interview with the business editorial office of tvn24.pl. Bama Poland filed for bankruptcy in July this year, over a hundred people will lose their jobs. – We were informed: “we're sorry, but you won't get the money” – he adds.
– An employee meeting was organized at the end of June. The president of the factory came and announced that unfortunately there would be no money for our salaries. We received our last payments in May – says Justyna, one of the former employees of the Bama Poland factory from Gorzów Wielkopolski.
The company produced shoe care accessories that are sold in over 50 countries. It was a subcontractor of the German company Bama Group and had no other clients.
According to information obtained by tvn24.pl from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, Bama Poland on July 26 this year. filed a bankruptcy petition with the District Court in Gorzów Wielkopolski. 137 people are to lose their jobs.
The Labor Office in Gorzów Wielkopolski told tvn24.pl that on October 21, 2024, it received information from the employer about the dismissal of 31 people and about termination of employment contracts for another 54 people, with the expiry of the notice period on November 30, 2024. Notices of termination of employment contracts will be sent successively to other employees, including: after cessation sick leave. The employer plans to end the process of laying off employees on December 31, 2024.
“Everything was supposed to be beautiful, nice and colorful”
Mrs. Justyna says that “already in June, the staff prepared, on behalf of the employer, a list of people who were registered for, among others, the Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund.”
– The idea was that we would even get part of the salary, some advance payments. I don't feel left alone. Since June, there have been a lot of emotions and emotions, because some people, and certainly Mr. President, have spent their entire adult lives here. Our Polish company filed for bankruptcy by the German company Bama. We produced shoe insoles for them, among other things, and she didn't pay us, explains a former Bama Poland employee.
As he adds, “the German company Bama filed for bankruptcy a year and a half ago and underwent restructuring.”
– Another entity was found to buy its shares. Everything was supposed to be beautiful, nice and colorful. Unfortunately, it was not, because the receiver came in, and as a result, companies such as Bama also suffered SwitzerlandBama we FranceBama w Belgiumand Bama in Poland. The German factory simply did not pay its subcontractors, our interlocutor points out.
– The first thought about bankruptcy is that the management probably did something wrong. It is not true that Bama Poland invested badly, spent money “to the left”, and that the president did not know how to manage. The company has been registered in its current form for four years (the Polish entity has been registered in the National Court Register since August 17, 2020 – ed.), but has been operating on the market for over a hundred years (Curt Baumann founded the company in Dresden in 1914. He bought a sewing machine, manual hole punch and starting the production of shoe insoles – ed.). She always did the same thing, only the owner changed – he describes.
“We're sorry, but you won't get the money”
We ask Mrs. Justyna whether, when she started working in the factory a year ago, whether there were already signals about the possible bankruptcy of the company. The woman recalls that during the recruitment process she received information that “the German Bama is in the process of expanding its Polish branch, that there is a new investor, that there will be help.” – The German company led us by the nose. Finally, when it came to making a transfer for the services provided by us, we were informed: “We are sorry, but you will not receive the money” – he describes the situation.
Mrs. Małgorzata, another former employee of Bama Poland, tells tvn24.pl that she has worked for the company almost all her adult life. – I've been on it for a few years now retiredbut I stayed in the factory. I can do anything here, he says.
Why did bankruptcy occur? – we ask. – There have been a lot of changes in the company over the years, so many owners, but we managed somehow. The German factory stopped paying us one day and that was the final nail in the coffin, the interlocutor recalls.
The woman is waiting for the company's bankruptcy process to be closed and will try to recover outstanding wages. – This will probably drag on for years – he waves his hand.
Our two interlocutors, Mrs. Justyna and Mrs. Małgorzata, emphasize that they are resourceful and that they have new jobs.
The business editorial office of tvn24.pl also tried to contact the president of the management board of Bama Poland. However, we did not receive a response to our request for an interview. We also did not receive answers to our questions from Bama Group Germany.
Ministry of Labor on the payment of advances to employees
The press office of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy told tvn24.pl that in the justification for its bankruptcy application, Bama Poland indicated a permanent loss of payment capacity.
As it added, “to the Provincial Labor Office in Zielona Góra, in the period from August 30 to October 23, five employees of the Company submitted individual applications for an advance payment from the Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund for a total amount of PLN 101,699.86.”
“The applications have not yet been considered because the proceedings regarding the applications are suspended until the competent court issues a final decision declaring the Company's bankruptcy,” we read.
The ministry's press office also informed that on September 10, the Voivodship Labor Office in Zielona Góra received the employer's application for the payment of advances on unsatisfied employee claims, together with a collective list of 114 people, for the amount of PLN 556,535.16.
It was also indicated that on October 7, the Voivodeship Labor Office in Zielona Góra paid advances on due employee benefits from the Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund for 113 employees included in the list and transferred the amount of PLN 177,105.50 to the Social Insurance Institution as social and health insurance contributions for October 2024 and the amount of PLN 49,203.00. to the Tax Office for personal income tax. The disbursement of funds was made in the total amount of PLN 551,507.17.
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