strike of Polish custom officers xxxxxxxxxx

Three month ago I wrote a list of what I see as interconnected factors contributing to the “new Berlin wall” at the Polish-Belarusian border:
- introduction of the Schengen regime;
- absence of the EU-Belarusian and Polish-Belarusian agreement on small-scale border movement;
- in January came into force presidential decree №760 restricting Belarusians entrepreneurs;
- in January came into force presidential decree № 643 euphemistically entitled On facilitation of exit from the Republic of Belarus (Об упрощении порядка выезда из Республики Беларусь); and
- strike of Polish custom officers which for couple of weeks blocked transport at all of the Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Belarusian border crossings.

As Ian, the head of the Border Blogs Project, asked me strongly, it is high time to analyze these topics.
Thinking about power at international borders we often consider only power of border police or custom officers. Nevertheless “weak actors” as the devushky also have a power. In January this invisible power blocked all the Polish-Ukraine and Polish-Belarusian border.

In January Polish customs workers organized protest actions requiring wage increase and improving of working conditions since November 2007. Strike of Polish customs workers has paralysed all border check points at the Belarusian-Polish border. “Passenger transport and lorries as well as physical persons cannot neither enter Belarus nor leave it. The situation is becoming critical,” referred the State Border Committee.

More than 1,500 rail cars also stacked up on the Ukrainian side of the border, most loaded with ore, coal, and metal. Road traffic between Poland and Ukraine was similarly snarled, with traffic jams. The Polish strike targeted at freight lorries and trains had at its peak created traffic jams exceeding 60 kilometres, and waited of up to three days for hapless lorry drivers.
The situation on the Belarusian-Polish border, blocked due to Polish customs workers strike, was explosive. Two attempts of illegal border crossing were noted: two Belarusian citizens tried to cross the border outside the border checkpoint. According to Belarusian and Ukraine authorities, the strike damaged Belarus and Ukraine at tens of millions dollars. Ukraine's government estimated state income lost due to reduced customs proceeds, and costs connected with supporting the stranded drivers, at more than 8 million dollars a day.

The Polish strike came in response to refusal by the Warsaw government to improve working conditions for customs workers after Poland became a member of the Schengen Treaty at the beginning of 2008, which obliged Poland to enforce more complicated and stringent border rules.

The customs workers were demanding a monthly pay rise of 1,500 zloty (600 dollars) as well as earlier retirement and better protection from false accusations for bribes. And this is the point where we can observe the power of the week actors. The eastern Polish border was gold mine in the 90s. Passengers – suitcase tourists – traveling from Belarus or from Ukraine to Warsaw’s bazaars and smuggling cigarettes and alcohols used to pay 20 USD each to Polish costume officers. “Lot of new houses was build up for money from Belarusians”, commented the situation a priest in Orzelków. Now the situation has changed. The Polish and Belarusian authorities combat bribing. One result of the combat was rule, that each accused of bribing custom officer will be not put off duty (as in the border police, for ex.), but relived of his/her post and dismiss.

The “invisible power” of the devushky – and its indirect contribution of the border blockade which paralyzed the eastern Polish border for two weeks is right this: they can be, ideally, a threat for job security of the Polish custom officers. Why ideally? Agafata, 46 years old pitcher from a bazaar in Zviezdnyj told me why. Because nobody from Belarus will find a courage to complain about Polish custom officers in Poland. Especially now, when it is so difficult to get a Polish visa.