Why some Poles plan to strike ... while others give blood

A Facebook page urging Poles to give blood instead of going on strike has attracted thousands of followers

A Polish-language newspaper based in the UK has called for a strike on Thursday to show the importance of immigrants to the British economy - but another movement online is asking Poles to donate blood rather than withhold their labour.

There are almost 700,000 Polish people in the UK. Would the British economy be able to function if none of them showed up to work?

That thought has been bandied about on Polish internet forums and earlier this month was given a boost by the Polish Express, a free newspaper for Poles living in the UK. The paper called for Poles to skip work on Thursday and protest outside Parliament. The newspaper's editor, Tomasz Kowalski, told Politico that the call was prompted by a reader comment. He cited a case of a woman who was sacked from her job after speaking Polish in her workplace, and said Poles "don't want to be second-class citizens."

"Maybe this doesn't happen every day to everyone, but we have information from our readers that there is something wrong with the treatment of Poles in the UK," he told the website.

Counter-campaign

The strike isn't backed by any labour union or official group, but the newspaper started a Facebook page devoted to the action. Around 1,000 people have signed up to attend.

However, a counter-campaign has garnered at least twice as much support online and is urging action of a different sort.

"We wanted to send a positive message from immigrants," says George Byczynski of the British Poles Initiative. "Me and my friends were concerned about a strike. It's pointless, careless, and something to do as a last resort. We definitely don't need it now."

The British Poles Initiative is asking Poles to pledge to give blood on Thursday instead of skipping work. At the time of publication, their Facebook group claimed around 2,300 followers. The group is promoting the hashtag #PolishBlood and is asking people to share pictures of themselves donating blood.

"Much of the media and many politicians don't want to point out the contributions Poles make," Byczynski told BBC Trending. "We work, we pay taxes, we contribute to culture. We hope this campaign won't be just a one-day thing, but rather another way Poles can show their contribution to British society."

The strike was also criticised by the Federation of Poles, an umbrella organisation which includes more than 60 Polish groups. "Whilst we appreciate the concerns and frustrations of some migrant workers, we believe that any strike would do more harm than good," said the federation's chairperson, Tadeusz Stenzel, said in a statement.

But the federation also said that blood donation "should not be used for political purposes" and encouraged people to donate blood year-round, rather than linking it to any one particular day or action.

The National Health Service's Blood and Transplant division told BBC Trending that they aim to fill appointments well in advance, and because they don't ask about the nationality or ethnicity of donors, there's no way to definitely tell whether the campaign had resulted in an increase in donation appointments. The NHS is urging people to pre-book appointments - while they welcome the campaign, a spokesperson says, donated blood is perishable and donors who show up unannounced might be turned away if centres are busy.

Kowalski, the editor of the Polish Express newspaper, didn't respond to requests for comment.

Immigration has been topical in Britain this summer, largely because of a completely separate issue - the groups of migrants in Calais in France attempting to enter Britain through the Channel Tunnel. Poles, as EU citizens, have the right to live and work in the UK or any other European country, for that matter. According to the Office of National Statistics, Poles are the country's second-largest immigrant group after Indians.

Blog by Mike Wendling

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