Warsaw hit by taxi drivers and health sector unions protests

Warsaw's streets were blocked by protesting taxi drivers yesterday who came from all over the country to demand additional talks with the Finance Ministry. This was the fifth strike organized by the sector demanding that the government withdraws from its plans to introduce cash registers in taxis. Artur Oporski, the protesters' representative, announced that the taxi drivers have opened a Civic Committee and are collecting signatures for their own draft bill concerning the sector. In order to submit a draft bill by a such a committee, 100,000 signatures must be collected. The draft bill prepared by the taxi drivers contains changes to VAT related issues. . Protesters were angry that no government or Ministry representative wanted to meet them, and in the end the police called on the drivers to disperse or face removal by force. At the same time a few streets away, several thousand health sector workers also held their demonstration. The Solidarity and OPZZ health sector unions object to the government's strategy to restructure the sector, which the unionists believe will lead to the closure of 30% of hospitals. In contrast to the taxi drivers protest, the health sector employees protest was much more aggressive, during which fireworks were thrown at the Prime Minister's office and banners bearing the SLD name were burned. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1; Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) A.K.