Polish workers protest loss of helicopter tender
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
06.05.2015 16:51
Workers at a helicopter production factory in Świdnik took to the streets in a silent protest on Wednesday afternoon, having been ruled out of a lucrative Polish state tender.
Helicopter by PZL-Świdnik. Photo: wikimedia commons/radomilPhoto: wikimedia commons/radomil
Employees of PZL-Świdnik gathered at the gates of the factory (Poland's biggest manufacturer of helicopters) at around 3pm local time, before setting off to the town's Constitution Square.
In mid-April, Poland's ministry of defence provisionally selected French Airbus Group for the production of fifty helicopters in a tender that is worth USD 3 billion.
According to the PZL-Świdnik Association of Professional Engineers and Technicians, the ministry's decision “damages the economic interests of Świdnik, the Lublin region and Poland.
“It is an anti-Polish decision that carries with it a serious risk of losing jobs,” the union claimed in a written statement.
Besides favouring France's Airbus Group, the ministry also revealed last month that it would purchase Raytheon Patriot missiles from the United States. (nh)
Source: IAR, PAP