On January 29, the social partners, represented by trade unions and the Employees Council, reached an agreement with the management of Agora, a media company in Poland, to set out the principles for conducting planned collective layoffs.
Agora announced the start of the employment reduction process in a stock market communication on January 9. Social consultations began in accordance with legal procedures, with the participation of trade unions and the Employees Council operating in the company. Representatives of NSZZ “Solidarność”, OZZ Inicjatywa Pracownicza, and ZZ Komitet Obrony Gazety Wyborczej joined the negotiation table. The aim of the talks was to establish principles for the layoffs, and most importantly, the terms that the company would offer as it parts ways with individual employees.
“We did everything in our power to lighten the burden for our colleagues in this difficult situation. In such a context, it’s hard to talk about joy or satisfaction, but I would like to highlight the positives: we managed to slightly reduce the number of layoffs to a maximum of 180, and the employer agreed to let people who want to leave voluntarily do so, which may also reduce the number of people leaving the company against their will. We will provide further updates on the results of the talks and the details of the agreements on our social media platforms,” said Natalia Mazur, Chairwoman of the NSZZ “Solidarność”.
The agreement specifies, among other things, the financial and non-financial benefits package the employer will provide to those leaving Agora. They include favorable solutions that go beyond the minimum provided for by law. The layoffs will ultimately cover a maximum of 180 people and will conclude by March 31.
During the talks about collective layoffs, the issue of collaborators on civil law contracts was also raised. “Their cooperation with the company will end on good terms,” informs Igor Rakowski-Kłos, member of the OZZ Inicjatywa Pracownicza.
The management has committed to begin talks with trade unions about pay rises in mid-February, which is crucial for the remaining employees, emphasizes Rakowski-Kłos.
Both sides confirm that the talks were not easy, but they took place in a good atmosphere and were based on factual arguments.
“These were very tough negotiations. A financially satisfactory compromise – substantial benefits beyond the statutory ones – was mainly due to the flexibility of the employee side. We appreciate that the employer reduced the number of layoffs by 10 people, and also met the unions’ expectations for the payment of additional benefits to those with whom civil contracts will be terminated, including self-employed people, during the collective layoff on separate terms. Far from ideal, but the direction is right,” comments Waldemar Paś of the ZZ Komitet Obrony Gazety Wyborczej.
Agnieszka Siuzdak-Zyga, the Prokurist of Agora responsible for Gazeta.pl, thanked the union representatives for their openness to negotiation. “We conducted tough but very specific negotiations, where of course the laid-off employees were the main focus, but the context of the company’s future was equally important,” she claimed.
In justifying the start of collective layoffs, Agora cited market factors such as the steady downward trend in the sale of printed press connected with the outflow of readers to other communication channels, and in the area of Gazeta.pl – a clear deterioration in advertising revenue in the open market model and the growth in the position of global platforms.
