MEDIATION SEEMS INNOVATIVE

Time is money, but the average waiting time to get an instrument permitting enforcement in Poland was as long as 584 days last year. When conflicting parties used mediator's services, they reached a consensus on financial receivables within 30 days. Moreover, the mediation fee was only 25% of the court fee and these are not all savings.

Managing conflicts, moderating discussions, softening emotions – more and more people are learning mediation craft. Fairness and impartiality, confidentiality, humility and the knowledge of communication techniques are features and skills of a mediator. Mediator's duty is always the same: to bring a lasting resolution to the conflict and reach an agreement which is good for all the parties involved. 

WAITING FOR STABILITY

The beginning of this season is, undoubtedly, a temporary situation. Although the majority of important players updated their price lists at the beginning of the year, it sometimes happens that the difference in price of the same material reaches up to 30% because some wholesales or smaller trading companies are selling their materials from last year for old price.  

What does the wholesale natural stone market look like, what tendencies can we notice and, finally, what is the condition of companies operating in Poland? Like every year we asked a group of entrepreneurs these questions. Some of our interviewees admit that prices (not only of materials) settled so far in euro got higher (we predicted that in our article in the previous issue of Świat Kamienia). Some nervous moves can be expected from the companies which have so far bought stone in American currency and sold it in euro.   

NEW ORDER

Stone will make your immovable properties keep their value – this slogan takes a special meaning, because 2015 will be known for unprecedented rise of imported stone prices. Should we blame dollar rate, which got stronger by 25% and became expensive compared to other currencies? Opinions are divided here.

Most of our interviewees predict that the price rise of imported stone will reach as much as 30% by the end of the year. In case of a permanent lack of “colour” supplies from diminishing deposits, the prices will be even higher despite the growing demand for ready-made products in residential construction. Low interest rates and huge EU funds dedicated to infrastructural projects will surely improve the situation in this branch. 

WHO'LL GIVE ME WINGS?

The number of young people who want to gain qualifications in craft professions is smaller and smaller every year. The root causes lie in education system, but also in insufficient promotion of the craft and no benefits arising from having journeyman and artisan certificates. Years of neglect revealed the weakness of the reform of education carried out by then-Minister of Education (M. Handke) in the government of Jerzy Buzek and undoubtedly damaged the balance on the labour market.

The system of education which was being promoted for years made contemporary parents think that vocational schools are really bad, because being a journeyman is not as prestigious as holding a Master of Arts degree. What is the result? In Poland the concentration of higher schools is one of the highest in the world. The graduates have no prospects for further professional development whilst at the same time there are far too few people with specified qualifications. Our Internet survey revealed facts which might be very telling. Its results made us think that the mostly desired employee is … an unemployed person who badly needs work. 

STONE REVOLUTIONS

Let us start from some historical facts. Till 2008 it was the branch fair in Wrocław which had international aspirations. In the years 2009-2013 it was the fair in Poznań. In its short history Kamień-Stone fair had a high reputation and was treated as the biggest business event in stone branch in Central and Eastern Europe in spite of the fact that since 2011 the number of both exhibitors and visitors has been getting lower and lower. A result? First, a boycott of Kamień-Stone 2013 fair by Confindustria Marmomacchine (an association that represents leading Italian companies) and shortly after the information from the director of the Group of International Products of Poznań International Fair that the November edition of the fair was held for the last time and from now on we are going to meet at Stone event together with participants of the Trade Fair of Church Furnishings, Liturgical Objects and Devotional Items Sakralia as well as the Funeral Fair Memento.