UNION FUNDS AND ASSETS

Union assets include: real estate, movable effects, laws, cash and securities and any other items owned by the union.

Union funds consist of: membership dues, member contributions to special purpose funds, gifts, legacies and grants, income derived from union assets and economic activities, conducted by the union and approved of by the appropriate union authorities, revenues from cultural and sport events held or sponsored by the union.

Funds are allocated to finance regular trade union activities, in particular: to finance organisational, informational, educational, social and cultural activities of the union, as well as humanitarian activities.

The amount of the membership dues is determined in the Financial Resolution adopted by the National Congress of Delegates. Membership dues constitute 1% of a member's monthly gross salary. Exceptions are possible for retirees and unemployed.

The largest part - 60% - remains at the disposal of the enterprise commissions, which will use it to cover expenses for current activities and payment of union benefits. 25% of the collected dues will remain at the disposal of the regional boards, which use them to finance current activities, pay salaries to their employees and purchase necessary equipment. The remaining 10% is transferred to the National Commission: 8% of the dues is designated to finance nation-wide union activities, to pay the salaries of the employees of the National Commission and its institutions, to organise events and training, and to cover the costs of informational and publishing activities; 2% is allocated to the financing of the activities of the nation-wide branch and professional sections. The remaining 2,5% is designated to the Regional Strike Fund and 2,5% to the National Strike Fund.

The union is the sole shareholder in the company with limited responsibility - the Economic Fund of NSZZ Solidarność. The income and profits of this company are totally allocated to its future development, as it just recently began to operate and because of the legal and economic conditions in Poland at this time. The assets of the union confiscated from it during Martial Law has been only partially returned and that which has been regained has not always been accordingly revealed to reflect the growth of inflation over the last eleven years. There are specific difficulties connected with the return of NSZZ Solidarność assets, seized by OPZZ.