‘The  great reduction commences’ heralds Rzeczpospolita. Companies begin job reductions due to the slowing down of the Polish economy.

Press review by Agnieszka Bielawska.

The Polish branch of Michelin, the largest tyre-producing factory in Poland, is planning a gradual suspension of production since the orders have abruptly shrunk. The company, writes the daily, is preparing for radical cuts in employment. Whirlpool Poland plans to reduce its staff by four hundred and fifty employees in the coming year, also due to lack of orders. To avoid significant job cuts several companies have decided to offer lower wages to their employees. Altogether, writes the daily, Polish companies are planning to sack some five thousand people, and the number may increase since the country’s economy is beginning to move at a much slower pace.

'Recession no longer threatens. It is here,' headlines Gazeta Wyborcza. It is unprecedented, writes the daily, 2008 saw Japan, the USA and Europe tumble into recession.  Germany is struggling with huge problems and this may backfire for Poland. Germany is this country’s most important trade partner, collecting one fourth of Poland’s exports. Gazeta Wyborcza writes that German concerns may radically limit their orders in Poland, which will be strongly felt in this country already in  the first quarter of 2009.

The cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is celebrating its first birthday. Do the Premier and his ministers have any reasons to celebrate? Dziennik asked former Prime Ministers, ministers and experts what is their opinion after the twelve months of Tusk’s cabinet in office. The opinions range from critical, through lukewarm to enthusiastic, though the latter are rather scarce. ‘Poles may be disappointed with the government, but they know its working in their interest’, is one of the expert opinions; another is more blunt: ‘Tusk’s government? A complete disillusionment, it is clear the twelve  months were spent on learning how  the state functions’.

And to warm up the rather gloomy front-page atmosphere prevailing in the dailies today, Metro writes that should the present temperatures continue, Poland will be experiencing the warmest November in history. Meteorologists predict that a frosty winter can hit the country only in January. This is a tendency observed in recent years, writes Metro, and that due to the global warming. Four seasons have merged into two and the usually white Christmases in Poland are slowly becoming history.