All-Polish Agreement of Trade Unions

Infobox Union
name= OPZZ
country= Poland
affiliation= ETUC ITUC
members= 2.5 million
full_name= Polish Nationwide Trade Union Confederation
native_name= Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych


founded= November 24, 1984
current=
head=
dissolved_date=
dissolved_state=
merged_into=
office=
people= Jan Guz, President
website= [http://opzz.org.pl/ opzz.org.pl]
footnotes= All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions (OPZZ, _pl. Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych, is a left-wing Polish trade union federation.

History

OPZZ was created on 24 November 1984 on the basis of the 1982 trade union act, after the previous outlawing of Solidarity. OPZZ inherited all of Solidarity's property, and joined the pro-government Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego ("PRON", Patriotic Movement for National Revival). In 1985 it joined the World Federation of Trade Unions. Until 1990 OPZZ was tied closely to Polish United Worker's Party (PZPR), and after the fall of the communist government in Poland it has become a left-wing trade union central, allied with various left-wing post-communist parties (like Democratic Left Alliance, SLD).

Since 2006, OPZZ is affiliated to the European Trade Union Confederation and the International Trade Union Confederation.

In the summer of 2006, Roman Giertych, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland and a stalwart of the ultra-right-wing and chauvinistic League of Polish Families, voiced his support for the confiscation of OPZZ property and the dissolution of this organization, branding it a mouthpiece of the Social-Democratic Union (SLD)and the heir of the Communist PZPR.

Activities

The mission of OPZZ is stated as the defence of social and worker's right of the trade unions. OPZZ has strongly supported the demands of state owned industry sector.

The OPZZ is governed by Congress (Kongres), Council (Rada) and Presidium (Prezydium).

OPZZ associates 90 nation-wide trade union organisations (uniform trade unions and federations) grouped in 12 branches:

1. Raw materials and power industry 2. Manufacturing 3. Education, science and culture 4. Health care and social insurance 5. Agriculture and food economy 6. Construction, forestry, wood industry, environment protection and water economy 7. Municipal economy 8. Co-operatives 9. Trade and services 10. Transport and maritime economy 11. Railways 12. Communication

OPZZ also has its internal territorial structures, with territorial range corresponding to the administrative division of the country. These are voivodship (regional) councils (16) and powiat (district) councils (240).

In 1995 OPZZ had 2.5 million members, almost twice as many as its archrival, Solidarity. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0472110306&id=0Sf8BcUgMSMC&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=OPZZ&sig=L6e6SKv_Itq5HEBimcVshR5TFxE]

Presidents of OPZZ

* Alfred Miodowicz (until December 1991)
* Ewa Spychalska (1991-1996)
* Józef Wiaderny (1996-2002)
* Maciej Manicki (2002-2004)
* Jan Guz (2004-present)

References

*Polish|Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych|21 April 2006

External links

* [http://www.opzz.org.pl/ Homepage]