Ukrainian refugees in Poland

[Bonobo]

So far about 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees, mostly women with kids, have fled the brutal Russian attack against their motherland. 2 million have sought shelter in Poland. It is immense challenge for all Poles.
Refugees arrive in the biggest cities first, stay a day or two at railway stations, stadiums or other temporary accommodation centers and later are transported to places all over Poland which offer permanent accommodation.

[Bonobo]

Heartbreaking images of Ukrainian kids who were deprived of their fathers, homes, friends, schools, playgrounds, sometimes pets. Escaping from Russian shelling of civilian quarters, they could take only one favourite toy.

[Bonobo]

A recent interview but still a few days old so the number of refugees in Poland has already changed.

www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/uchodzcy-z-ukrainy-rozmowa-z-dyrektorem-osrodka-badan-nad-migracjami-uw/76tvees,79cfc278


More and more refugees from Ukraine. A gigantic challenge, but also an opportunity for Poland
- The situation is absolutely unique. Both in terms of the scale of the refugee and the scale of aid. The moment is extremely difficult, because the size and dynamics of migration are incomparable to anything that we have observed in Europe - says prof. Paweł Kaczmarczyk, director of the Center for Migration Research at the University of Warsaw.

Małgorzata Szczepańska-Piszcz
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Yesterday, 16:22

- It will be necessary to create additional schools and kindergartens for Ukrainian children. Refugees themselves can help organize our assistance. There are many teachers, doctors and nurses among them - notes the professor
The expert emphasizes that Poland is facing a gigantic difficult task. He uses a pictorial comparison: - Imagine a city of 10,000 in which an additional 2,000 people appear almost overnight. residents, in addition not speaking Polish
The professor points out that migration may, however, be an opportunity for Poland. - We are a rapidly aging society. Not only do we no longer have problems with unemployment, but in some sectors we even have to look for people to work, he notes
The interlocutor of "Przegląd" calls for the fastest possible elimination of barriers, incl. speeding up the recognition of diplomas and the recognition of qualifications of refugees from Ukraine
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Małgorzata Szczepańska-Piszcz, Review: Poles pass the exam of humanity beautifully, caring for people fleeing Ukraine. But this huge wave of refugees - according to the United Nations, there are already over a million of them in Poland - also raises concerns. We have something to be afraid of?


Prof. Paweł Kaczmarczyk, director of the Center for Migration Research, University of Warsaw: The situation is absolutely unique. Both in terms of the scale of the refugee and the scale of aid. The moment is extremely difficult, because the size and dynamics of migration are incomparable to anything that we have observed in Europe - I mean the migrations from 2014 or 2015.

Why?

Because then it was a process stretched over weeks, months. And here, during the first nine days of the war, almost 800,000 people reached Poland. Ukrainians. Which probably makes this influx one of the largest and most violent in recent European history.

Local government officials indicate: a wave of secondary migration is approaching
"It's high time not to rely only on the spontaneous help of Polish women and Poles"
According to UN estimates, 1.2 million people fled Ukraine during the first nine days of the war. Of which to Poland only on the ninth day over 106 thousand.

Judging by what is happening in Ukraine and at the border, this dynamics will be maintained. Therefore, it is high time not to rely only, or above all, on the spontaneous help of Polish women and men. It seems to me that there is no more decisive action by the government. And the coordination of this spontaneous help. It is good that local governments reacted quickly and established reception centers in large cities and on the border. But taking into account the scale of the phenomenon, it seems to me that there should be many, much more of these activities. The situation is difficult, because it is March, it is still very cold, especially at night, and the refugees, usually women with children, have to spend many hours in queues at the border. That is, even after leaving their towns in Ukraine, they find themselves in a situation of threat to their health and life.

How many Ukrainians are likely to stay in Poland?

The data that appeared shows that 30-40 percent. of these 800 thousand. drove on. And in the long run, there will probably be more. It is estimated that probably half of them will go somewhere further. European solidarity is very strong today, many doors are open. But the main stream will probably flow to Germany, Austria and Scandinavia. Therefore, returning to the question of whether we should be afraid, I answer: we should do everything possible to carry out an aid action as efficiently as possible, which also involves facilitating transport to other countries. However, this requires coordination at the national level. Solutions that have worked so far, whereby private persons on their own initiative drive up to the border in private cars, take refugees and carry them further, to safe places, are not enough.

It is high time to invite European organizations such as Frontex or the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) to cooperate. This is also the moment to start using the experiences of countries that had to deal with waves of refugees. I am thinking of the countries of southern Europe, such as Italy, Greece, but also - and perhaps above all - Germany. All this for our help to be as effective and efficient as possible.

Should we create refugee camps?

I'd rather not use the word camps. Not only reception centers, but also transition centers for refugees are likely to be necessary. Especially if the housing stock is not made available to Ukrainians quickly, temporary housing cannot be built quickly, etc.

The rest of the conversation can be found under the video:


A gigantic challenge for Poland
What, apart from housing, must be ensured so that our help can be called good?

We should provide them with access to medical services, including those related to vaccination against COVID-19. We should remember that in the case of Ukraine, vaccinating the population was relatively weak, additionally mostly with a different vaccine than in the EU countries, mainly with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. This may generate a lot of problems in the future. A childcare system must be created. Now existing institutions spontaneously accept them, but they will stop in a moment, because kindergartens and schools are not made of rubber. It will therefore be necessary to create additional schools and kindergartens for Ukrainian children. Refugees themselves can help organize our assistance. There are many teachers, doctors and nurses among them. It's better to work than sit in an empty room all day. Anyway, we have signals that this is already happening, just a few days after the start of the war.

The government has just developed a special act.

This law is necessary for local governments and other organizations to function. I have no idea why government work took so long. And the paper is patient and you can write anything on it. Let me ask rhetorically: will writing down that Ukrainian refugees have the right to free education and health care provide them both?

The inefficient Polish health service and highly concentrated schools will not be able to cope?

The appearance of an additional thousand people in an inefficient system will create pressures that are difficult to deal with. You have to act in advance, now. If we do not obtain money, if we do not mobilize teachers and doctors, if we do not include Ukrainians, the special act will not change much. At this point, I would expect a shift to a higher level of determination also from the government authorities.

That is?

Allocating large amounts of money from public funds and strong support from local governments and cooperation with non-governmental organizations. Please note that so far only local governments and non-governmental organizations have dealt with migrants so far. We have not had and we do not have a government policy in this area. And, what I would like to emphasize, it is necessary to obtain aid funds from the European Union as soon as possible. Brussels declared that the money would be transferred immediately.

Who is fleeing Ukraine today?

Mostly women and children, but it is definitely not a random sample of the Ukrainian population. Each emigration is a selective phenomenon. Those fleeing those who have, firstly, contacts and connections in Poland, and secondly, money for transport to the border or a car that will take them there. Or they don't have sick parents to look after. Or they are so agile and determined that they can walk for days. At this point, it must be emphasized that there is not much difference between the Ukrainians, whom we are now so willing and willing to help spontaneously, and the people who recently stood helplessly at the Polish-Belarusian border, but could not count on our massive help. Both of them escaped from the war.

Why is it easier for us to help Ukrainians?

Because we know them better, they are culturally close to us. In addition, we treat Russia as a common enemy. Finally, the war in Ukraine is taking place close to us, we understand it. The war in Syria or Afghanistan was something distant, foreign and abstract for the average Pole.

Poles fear that the large number of Ukrainians will destabilize the labor market.

I do not know exactly where these fears arise. After all, around 2 million Ukrainians were involved in the Polish labor market even before the Russian-Ukrainian war. And they did not cause negative effects, quite the opposite. They had an 11- or 12-percent impact on the dynamics of GDP growth. The influx of new employees can be very beneficial for the labor market. Provided that we remove certain barriers. First, by speeding up the recognition of diplomas and the recognition of qualifications. Because we have to realize that the current Ukrainian emigration differs from the economic one we know well. These are people torn from their jobs, often well-educated: scientists, teachers, journalists, doctors, engineers. It is worth enabling them to work in their professions. Secondly, teaching them Polish, and for this you need additional, intensive language courses. Polish employers already declare that they want to employ Ukrainians. Earlier, if they were afraid of something, it would be a sudden outflow of Ukrainians, e.g. to Germany. Let us remind you that Poles are looking for a workforce in such distant countries as India or Bangladesh.

The dark and light sides of migration
We know that the devil is not that scary, because scientists have already studied the impact of mass immigration on the labor market, for example the one called Mariel boatlift.

Yes, in 1980, quite unexpectedly, Fidel Castro announced that anyone who wanted to leave Cuba. Over 120,000 Cubans in the port of Mariel - hence the name - loaded themselves onto ships and boats and went to Florida. They went mainly to Miami. To family, friends, to the strong Cuban diaspora. In this aspect, that situation is analogous to what we are experiencing in Poland today. The first wave of Ukrainian emigration also goes mainly to families, friends and acquaintances - where they have some starting point. This Cuban emigration was thoroughly researched, among the researchers was David Card, winner of last year's Nobel Prize. And it found that increasing the workforce in Miami by 7-10% did not negatively affect either the Americans or other immigrants. Only one group lost - Cubans living there.


Similar conclusions can be drawn from other studies. Immigrants do not take jobs from indigenous peoples, but rather supplement them. They rarely compete, usually take a job that the locals do not want, find it unattractive. This is also the case on the Polish labor market. Ukrainians are mainly employed in agriculture, provide low-skilled services and simple work in industry or construction. Poles did not have to and do not have to worry about their jobs. Increased competition will therefore primarily concern other immigrants. But to be clear, I do not want to present migration only in bright colors. Migrations, especially mass ones, have both light and dark sides.

Then let's list the dark ones first.

Difficult access to public services: medical, social, education, transport services. There may be problems with the payment of social benefits, e.g. 500+.

So thousands of new people will appear on the market and there will be no where to get money to pay for additional teachers, doctors, etc.?

Not. The problem is not where to get the money, because if we include Ukrainians in the labor market, they will pay for it all, for example by participating in the tax system, through income taxes and indirect taxes. The problem is the sudden expansion of the system for the provision of various types of services. Imagine a city of 10,000 in which an additional 2,000 people appear almost overnight. residents, in addition not speaking Polish. And now, from a small budget, you need to create additional places in kindergartens, schools and clinics. You have to think about teaching Polish as a foreign language. Where to find such teachers, especially in a small town? Let's face it, logistically it will be very difficult. Social tensions are also the dark side of mass migrations.

What we observed recently in England, when Poles emigrated there en masse.

Although immigration has a positive effect on the labor market and this is beyond question, there can certainly be individuals or even entire groups that will suffer from this influx. In Poland, these may be low-skilled workers or working in sectors dominated by migrants. England's experience in the pre-Brexit era would have called for identifying such groups as quickly as possible and offering support, e.g. in the form of additional training or retraining. Besides, mass migration can cause social and political tensions. Reasonable public policy must recognize them quickly and defuse them, not fuel them. And this is particularly important in our country, because in recent years we have unfortunately had a strong anti-immigrant rhetoric that flowed directly from government institutions.

What are these pluses?

We are a rapidly aging society. Not only do we no longer have problems with unemployment, but in some sectors we even have to look for people to work. Therefore, the appearance of additional thousands of employees on such a labor market must be treated as a favorable potential for us. Especially that these will not be mostly low-skilled workers. Besides, it is a chance to build good relations with your neighbor. It is very likely that, if Ukraine survives, many of these refugees today will build a post-war homeland. And the third plus - multiculturalism as a value. I am an ardent supporter of the thesis, which not everyone shares, that a multicultural, diverse society is not only a value, but also has better development prospects.

[Bonobo]

How Ukrainian youtuber sees Polish reaction to refugees

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Refugees in Krakow

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Personal stories

www.onet.pl/informacje/radiolodz/pierwsze-cudzoziemki-za-pulpitami-lodzkich-tramwajow/svcpns3,30bc1058

The first foreigners behind the dashboards of Łódź trams
We are already accustomed to neighbors or friends who come from Ukraine, but in some industries taking up work by them is a novelty. This is the case with trams. Two Ukrainian citizens have recently been seated behind the consoles of the wagons in Łódź. They have completed the course, passed the exam and have been running warehouses in Łódź for a month.


1.8 thousand
August 22, 2022, 09:18
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Maryna Holubnycha, driverRadio Lodz
Maryna Holubnycha, driver
5 years behind the dashboard of the Ukrainian tram
Why did two Ukrainian women living in Łódź choose the profession of a tram driver? In the case of Maryna Holubnychy, the choice was quite simple.

- When I was 19 years old, I finished a driver training course in Ukraine, only in our country it lasted half a year, not two months as in Łódź. Then I was a tram driver in Kryvyi Rih for five years. I got married, had children and stopped driving trams. For the next 19 years I worked in the gas emergency service. However, two years ago, after arriving in Lodz, I immediately went to MPK to ask for a job. Unfortunately, I did not read Polish, I did not know the language and it was difficult for me to communicate. The lady in the office told me to learn the language a bit and try again - recalls the Lodz motor driver.

Low wages in Ukraine
The first time Mrs. Maryna came to Łódź in 2019 for three months, then for half a year until she stayed for longer. Of course, the motivation to look for a job in Poland was her financial situation in Ukraine.

- It was very hard in Ukraine, because I was there alone with two children. I had a very small paycheck at emergency gas. For example, I received PLN 700, and I paid PLN 500 for a flat. But it was also very hard to go to Poland for the first time, because I had never traveled anywhere before. Only to the seaside, but also in Ukraine. I was most afraid of whether the children would understand why I was leaving, stresses Mrs. Maryna.

However, two teenagers (a 15-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son) supported their mother in her decision to leave.

- The children said "Mom, go, we are waiting for you". When I first worked in Poland, it was difficult for me because I never left my children alone. It was a little easier the next time. My daughter once asked me where I wanted to work. I said Łódź, because I like this city very much. It is clean, unlike Ukrainian cities. Now I'm used to it, but when I returned to Ukraine, I felt a big difference. When I signed a contract for a year, my daughter and son just finished school and came to me - says Mrs. Maryna.

The language training worked
For two and a half years, Mrs. Maryna worked in a factory producing components for, among others, for washing machines. She improved her language skills and again applied to MPK-Łódź.

I've brushed up the language a bit. It is difficult to learn to speak Polish properly if you only work with Ukrainians. However, at MPK the lady said that she remembered me and immediately asked if I wanted to try to complete the qualifying tests for the course. I did well, she had an interview with a psychologist right away and I got a referral for tests. It was April 24, and the course was starting on May 5. I did not think that I would start so soon, after all, I still had a job in the factory - emphasizes the Łódź motor worker.

However, the contract in the factory was immediately terminated by mutual agreement and Mrs. Maryna started the course.

- The driver course was a huge stress for me, because it had nothing to do with driving in Ukraine. You could say that in my city, Kryvyi Rih, there were no regulations at all. There are recipes for everything here. In Ukraine, there were no remotely adjustable crossovers, like in Łódź, only manual and single switches. There were also no separate lights for trams, only red and green, as for cars. Only the tram had priority everywhere - stresses Mrs. Maryna.

Theory is harder than driving
It turned out that mastering all the rules and construction of the tram was more difficult than just driving.

- I wanted to understand how it all works, technical matters, and the problem turned out to be Polish names. There were none like ours. Besides, it was easier to drive in Ukraine because there were no bans. The door lock (prevents the departure of the tram with the door open - ed.) was something strange for me at first. We could go with the door open. It was more important that no one broke them. People were very happy when the tram arrived at all. We had one tram every half an hour. Nobody complained because it was important to get to work. And here you have to be careful about everything and I already know that passengers write a lot of complaints. People are used to the trams running on schedule. A minute or two late and a complaint. He left a minute early and a complaint. But I don't regret taking the course. I really enjoyed this job in Ukraine. It's not bad here either. I know that working with people is not easy.

Just bring it to the factory
The internal regulations of carriers in Ukraine, or rather the lack of them, obviously surprise the driving instructors in Łódź.

- Indeed, they are surprised. For example, the replacement of high-voltage fuses takes place without the pantograph removed, or even while driving. In addition, only one point in Krzywy Rog, such as our Piotrkowska Centrum, controlled the time of trams. The only thing that mattered was to get people to the factory faster. In addition, there is no drive lock or only five controls on the trams' desktop. My trainee worked there 20 years ago, so maybe something has changed during this time - points out Janusz Krzewiniak, a driver from Łódź for 25 years and a driving instructor for 10 years.

The problem of understanding quick messages
Mr. Janusz was Maryna Holubnychy's instructor. What was the hardest thing for her to deal with?

- It seems to me that the biggest problem was understanding the messages from radiotelephones and orientation in the city. When it comes to reading, it wasn't a problem, so the internal regulations after explaining were understandable - says Janusz Krzewiniak.

Indeed, orientation in the new city initially gave Maryna a lot of trouble.

- During the first rides, I did not understand where I was going. Kiliński or Kopciński, it was all the same to me. How big was the intersection, like on al. Śmigłego-Rydz and Dąbrowski, initially I did not know from which side I was passing through them. And I had to learn it. As well as many other things. It was half a month of theory and a month of practice. I don't know how our instructors managed to teach us so quickly, but they certainly passed on all their knowledge to us - stresses Mrs. Maryna.

Greater attention to language
What is the difference between training a Polish student and learning a foreigner?

- When training foreigners, you need to pay more attention to the language spoken so that it is more understandable. Poles can say something in a nutshell, and here everything had to be explained exactly what was going on. And all the time there were questions about streets, some more important places like hospitals, churches. Destinations where people want to get to - recalls Janusz Krzewiniak.

Make sure the door isn't broken
Together with Mrs. Maryna, Mrs. Lolita from Żytomierz was also on the course. Both are running only constels for now. Soon, however, they will be training for NF6D wagons.

- I'm a little nervous because I have to remember the new desktop and I haven't ridden two-way trams yet. At the beginning, it was a fear for me and the constable to drive, and now I know everything about this car. In Ukraine, there were three lights and one turn signal switch. The controls were on the rail brakes and doors. That is why it was difficult to learn all these controls on the dashboards of Łódź trams. We did not have a signal to close the door, because you could drive with it open. The most important thing was that no one would break the door, recalls Mrs. Maryna.

Foreigners among Łódź drivers
Ms. Maryna has a contract with MPK-Łódź since July 12, but there have been other foreigners among the hosts for a long time.

- When it comes to trams, we have the first two ladies driving from abroad, they are Ukrainian and they run from Zajezdnia Telefoniczna. However, we had foreigners before, these are bus drivers. We have drivers from Armenia, Croatia and Romania behind the wheel. They are people who have a very good command of the Polish language, so there is no problem to communicate with them. From what I have heard, more people from Ukraine are willing to take part in the course, and after the course results we will see if they will be put to work - says Bartosz Stępień from the MPK-Łódź press office.

What is the advice for foreigners who want to become operators of MPK-Łódź?

- It's good that these students are prepared to improve their language skills. It's about understanding what is being said quickly. Because radio messages are delivered quickly. And sometimes the radio crackles, so there may be a problem with understanding - advises Janusz Krzewiniak.

[Bonobo]

Poles' acceptance of social assistance for Ukrainians is decreasing. There is a survey
Ukrainians in Poland
Ukrainians in Poland Source: Newspix.pl

Although the vast majority of Poles want to help Ukraine and are open to refugees in our country, acceptance of comprehensive social assistance for Ukrainians and financing of accommodation and meals is decreasing - according to a study by the University of Warsaw.

Until the end of June, the Sejm extended the temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine, which the previous government introduced in April 2022, two months after the outbreak of the war. It guarantees Ukrainians food and accommodation at state expense, health care, access to education and a full social assistance package - from PLN 800 plus for a child , PLN 1,000 for the birth of a child and PLN 300 one-time assistance for everyone.

Estimates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration show that there are approximately one million Ukrainians with war refugee status in Poland. It costs at least PLN 6.2 billion and is financed from the budget under the Aid Fund.

Poles about social assistance for Ukrainians
As "Rzeczpospolita" writes, the government wants to develop new rules for assistance for refugees from Ukraine by the end of June. The current ones - as the newspaper notes - no longer correspond to reality and are not accepted by the majority of society.

A study by the University of Warsaw shows that although the vast majority of Poles want to help Ukraine and are open to refugees in our country, acceptance of comprehensive social assistance for Ukrainians and financing of accommodation and meals is decreasing.

Data quoted by "Rzeczpospolita" show that compared to April 2022, the group of supporters of the special aid bill has decreased by 12 percentage points. 53% of respondents are against financing benefits for Ukrainian children, while 21% of respondents are of the opposite opinion . 47 percent of respondents do not want equal access to social assistance. The highest increase was in the number of opponents of state financing of accommodation and meals for refugees from Ukraine. In April 2022, 50 percent of respondents expressed support for this issue, while only 20 percent were against Now these proportions are reversed - 44 percent of respondents do not want such assistance, and only 21 percent of respondents are in favor of maintaining it.