‘It feels like a prison’: Polish factory making Britain’s blue post-Brexit passports faces investigation as ‘underpaid and poorly treated’ staff quit
- Factory staff making blue passports say the Polish factory could ‘feel like prison’
- Worker says staff were expected to use two or three different machines at once
- Some employees were leaving to earn more money as fishmongers or waitresses
- Polish workers’ union Solidarnosc is to launch an investigation at the factory
The Polish factory that produces Britain’s blue post-Brexit passports is facing an investigation by the country’s largest trade union after The Mail on Sunday revealed staff feel underpaid and poorly treated.
Workers at the factory in the town of Tczew in northern Poland earn as little as £400 a month – almost half the average wage in the area – our investigation last month found.
Staff said they were quitting to earn more money as fishmongers or waitresses, while one complained that working conditions were so poor that the factory could ‘feel like a prison’.
The Mail on Sunday was told that wages at the factory were so low that some staff had been forced to claim paid sick leave so that they could make additional money in a second job
Now, the leading Polish workers’ union, Solidarnosc, is to launch an investigation at the factory, which is owned by the French multinational company Thales.
Union chief Krzysztof Dosla said: ‘We have a branch in Tczew and I will ask colleagues to look into this problem. Our organisation is not directly in this plant, but if something bad is happening in it, we will quickly find out. We will definitely investigate this case.
The Polish factory that produces Britain’s blue post-Brexit passports is facing an investigation by the country’s largest trade union after The Mail on Sunday revealed staff feel underpaid and poorly treated
‘In cases where employers try to save on employee wages, there is hidden profit for employers.
‘It is a practice that has mainly affected smaller businesses in Poland. I hope it does not apply to the plant in Tczew.’
The Mail on Sunday was told that wages at the factory were so low that some staff had been forced to claim paid sick leave so that they could make additional money in a second job.
And one worker said staff were expected to use two or three different machines at once, a practice he claimed was unsafe.
He added: ‘We work 12-hour shifts anyway, but the company strongly encourages overtime, which can be exhausting. Working there can feel like a prison sometimes.’
One ex-employee said she used to earn just over £400 a month after tax helping to produce Polish identity cards at the factory
The average wage in the Polish manufacturing industry is £745 a month.
Thales, whose contract with the UK Government to produce passports is worth £260 million, said: ‘Thales has always been compliant with the labour laws applied in the 68 countries where the company is present.
‘We are a very dynamic employer in Poland, fully respecting health-and-safety regulations.
‘The wellbeing of our 80,000 employees worldwide is paramount and we consider their workplace wellness a priority.’
All British passports issued from mid-2020 will be blue, replacing the European Union’s burgundy equivalents.
The Mail on Sunday was told that wages at the factory were so low that some staff had been forced to claim paid sick leave so that they could make additional money in a second job. The UK border is pictured above