RegioJet problems in Poland? National Labor Inspectorate control and a one-person IT department in a container at the station

And it was supposed to be so beautiful… However, we will have to wait for a real railway revolution. A Slovak IT specialist wanted to start a new life in Warsaw. He was interested in railways and knew three languages: Czech, Polish and English. RegioJet was looking for someone exactly like this, the recruitment was quick and training began. Then there was a problem…

Few industries offer such opportunities in terms of mobility (also due to high earnings) as IT. A Slovak computer scientist wanted to open a new chapter in his life and career. He interviewed at RegioJet at the end of February. He handed in his notice to his then employer and started looking for an apartment in Warsaw. At the end of March he moved to Poland to start work in April.

In the meantime, he took part in training in Bohumin, Brno and Prague. During one of them, on April 9, i.e. a few days after taking up employment, he received information that RegioJet was completely abandoning domestic connections in Poland – reports “Gazeta Wyborcza”.

– He granted me authorizations and planned my work when the decision to close the branch was probably already signed in the president's office – adds the IT employee. “Recruitment activities were carried out at a time when the final decision to cease operations had not yet been made. The decision was then made at the company management level and immediately communicated internally,” explains RegioJet.

One-person IT department

– I am the first IT specialist employed in Poland. So far, all technical matters were handled exclusively by Czechs who came here, says an anonymous RegioJet employee. – When I was at recruitment interviews, I asked my supervisor what it would look like and how big the team was. He then answered me honestly: “for now there is only you and I don't know if anyone else will join.” Now we know that no one will join since the company is closing down, he adds.

The angry IT specialist says that he could not make any decisions without the consent of the headquarters in the Czech Republic. The burden was the outdated IT infrastructure and lack of consistency in the selection of tools. Using distributed solutions introduced chaos. Internal communication took place alternately in Czech and English.

However, this was not the end of the inconvenience, as RegioJet's one-person IT department for Poland worked in containers located on the side of the Warszawa Toruńska station. He had no access to any office space in the capital.

ZUS contributions were also said to be a problem. The employer is obliged to report the employee to ZUS within 7 days, and they did it only after my argument, almost two weeks after the date of starting work – he tells “Gazeta Wyborcza”. Reports indicate that this was not an isolated problem. “The net money was transferred to the account, but I know that many employees have not yet paid their contributions,” reports a driver who worked at RegioJet for 3 months.

PIP inspection is ongoing

Information about the above irregularities reached PIP inspectors. Inspectors are currently carrying out inspections at RegioJet covering: “issues related to legal labor protection, including working time, correctness of calculating remuneration for work, timeliness of remuneration payments, procedure for issuing employment certificates, calculating compensation for unused holiday leave.”

As RegioJet explains in “GW”: “In the past, in individual cases, there may have been delays in payments, which was related to external handling of payroll processes. The cooperation with this entity has already ended. The company meets all statutory obligations in the field of payment of contributions and taxes. Due to the change of the payroll service provider, an additional internal audit is carried out to verify the correctness of all processes.”

This is not the end. RegioJet responds to the allegations

“RegioJet rejects claims of violations of the law, including in the field of remuneration, taxes and social security and health insurance contributions. We carry out all duties in accordance with applicable regulations, and we resolve remuneration issues in accordance with concluded contracts and relevant regulations. We employ only qualified employees in positions requiring qualifications and we care for fair working conditions and open communication with employees.

Discussions with employees are conducted internally and with respect for all parties. Some employees will have the opportunity to continue cooperation with the company on international connections.

We also reject speculations regarding operational safety, technical condition of vehicles, hygiene standards and internal processes. All depots undergo regular inspections, and all reports are verified and resolved as standard. We provide information about changes in operations and their impact on employees in accordance with the provisions of law and in the course of ongoing processes,” company spokesman Lukáš Kubát told “Gazeta Wyborcza”.

Prepared by JM

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