Trade unionists settle in for protest: photo - PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Entrenched in a makeshift ‘retirement village’ set up in front of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery in Warsaw, the protesters from across the country are opposing pension reforms extending the retirement age to 67 for both men and women, in line with a draft bill announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk mid-February.
The demonstration is expected to shift over to the Sejm, the lower of Parliament, on Friday, as the MPs are set to vote on a motion for a national referendum on changes to the pension system. The petition has been signed by over 2 million citizens.
Head of Solidarity's regional branch in Jelenia Góra, western Poland, Franciszek Kopeć anticipates thousands of supporters in the Friday demonstration.
"Certainly all the trade unions will join us, along with many social groups,” he said.
“It is uplifting for us that representatives of diverse sections of society, ranging from young people through, say, religious circles, to various non-governmental organizations, want to take part in the protests."
The initiative is backed by the All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions and the Trade Union Forum.
Stalemate?
The trade unionists protest came on Monday as the two coalition partners, Civic Platform and Polish Peasant's Party (PSL), were locked in nearly four hours of talks over the pension reform plan, something that the junior partner, PSL is demanding concessions to.
Waldemar Pawlak, deputy prime minister and leader of PSL discussed the reforms with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski, although there appears to be a stalemate in the negotiations.
“Negotiations between [the two parties] on pension reform are ongoing,” PSL spokesman Krzysztof Kosinski said after the meeting but would not specify a deadline for completion of the talks.
Added pressure has been put on the senior coalition partner Civic Platform following a defection from the party two weeks ago by an MP who crossed over to the liberal Palikot Movement.
The defection means the coalition currently has a majority of just three in the lower house of parliament.
Janusz Palikot, leader of the liberals – who now make up the third largest party in parliament - said he was willing to vote for the pension reforms, but at a price.
“We have already said that we are ready to support pension reform, in return for a relaxation on social issues,” Palikot told the TVP broadcaster.
The Palikot Movement has been campaigning for a liberalization on several social issues including Poland’s drug law.
Palikot criticsed Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s presentation of the raising of the pension age to 67 for both men and women.
"Frankly, I do not understand why it’s 67 and not 66, or 65,” he said. (pg/ab)