A hunger strike by staff at the specialist hospital in Sanok (Podkarpackie) continued after more than seven hours of talks with the county authorities on Wednesday, 14 October, ended without agreement.
How the protest grew
The hunger strike began around 8 October with four people. By Monday, 12 October, about 50 employees from several professional groups had joined. The unions demand the dismissal of director Wioletta Kacperska, who has run the hospital since late August, accusing her of a corporate, authoritarian management style.
They also point to unpaid pay rises, jubilee bonuses and retirement severance, and to social contributions they say have not been paid, and are considering lawsuits and a complaint to prosecutors. These are the unions’ allegations; they have not been established by a court.
The money problem
The hospital’s debt exceeds PLN 220 million, and since August staff have been receiving only 70% of their salaries. County head (starosta) Robert Pieszczoch said last month’s loss was PLN 2.3 million, compared with around PLN 4 million in some earlier months. Since Kacperska took over, 65 people have been laid off and about 20 more have received notice.
No dismissal — mediation instead
“After hearing all sides, there are no grounds to dismiss the director,” Pieszczoch said, while admitting she had made some mistakes. He proposed mediation; three of the hospital’s five unions agreed, and the county is looking for a mediator. The nurses’ and midwives’ union and Solidarność refused.
“At this point there is no breakthrough,” said Małgorzata Sawicka, who chairs the nurses’ and midwives’ union. “I have the impression we talked about nothing.” It was not yet clear whether the hunger strike would continue in its current form.
Source: PAP via Rzeszów News, 15 October 2026.