We are outraged at the government’s planned budget pay freeze.

Since the beginning of the Law and Justice’s rule, the quality of public services deteriorates by constant disregard of budget and self-government workers. This government is avoiding its responsibility to look after the quality of education, health, or social care. Key public trust professions, such as teachers or health and social workers, are neglected by the government and their prestige diminishes year after year.

This approach is particularly hurtful during coronavirus epidemics. Public and self-government employees are not protected by the government’s anti-crisis shields. During the epidemic, many public workers got their wages reduces or even lost their jobs, but the government did not create any program to improve job security during the epidemic. Many of the offices stopped operating during the outbreak, and some in them, the measures to effectively protect employees and their customers from coronavirus still have not been implemented.

In our view, the government is unable to control the epidemic and by its actions, it is weakening crucial institutions of public services rather than strengthening them. Not only it does not guarantee decent working conditions for public sector workers but also it is making them even worse. That is why we are calling for immediate changes, including job guarantee for budget and self-government workers, wage increase of at least 10%, and additional bonuses in those segments of the labour market where workers have additional responsibilities related to the coronavirus epidemic.