The processions started from three places – Załęże, Kościuszko Park and Spodek – around 3.30 p.m. The demonstrators walked through the streets of Katowice, finally meeting at a joint demonstration at 5 p.m. in front of the Silesian Voivodeship Office. The organizers planned a one-and-a-half-hour demonstration, which caused serious disruptions to road traffic and public transport. Trams running through the Katowice market square were suspended from 2:30 p.m., and many bus lines were rerouted. Traffic complications are expected to last until the evening.
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Strike in Katowice. Estimated 10 thousand people
According to information provided by the Katowice city hall, the protest organizers estimate that up to 10,000 people will take part in the event. people.
Before the march began, the chairman of the Silesian-Dąbrowa Solidarity movement, Dominik Kolorz, in an interview with the Polish Press Agency, noted that the aim of the protest was to draw attention to the difficult situation of the Silesian industry. He pointed to the need to protect sectors such as metallurgy, mining, coking and automotive. Trade unionists fear a repeat of the 1990s, when economic transformation led to poverty in the region.
The march was attended by representatives of, among others: Sobieski Mining Plant, Rybnik Power Plant, Przyjaźń Coking Plant and the Budryk, Pniówek and Mysłowice-Wesoła mines. Earlier, as part of the preparations for the demonstration, Kolorz recalled that the Inter-Union Protest and Strike Committee was reactivated on October 13 this year, after a five-year break. Trade unionists emphasize that this decision was dictated by the deteriorating situation in the industry and the lack of progress in talks with the government on the problems of the steel and mining industry.
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Trade unionists united despite political differences
Kolorz noted that despite political differences, trade unionists from various organizations united forces, which proves the seriousness of the situation. He pointed to problems such as the decline in jobs in the automotive industry, the difficulties of the Polish steel industry in competing with imported steel from China and Ukraine, as well as the uncertain situation of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa and the coking sector. “We are fighting to ensure that Silesia does not die,” emphasized the leader of Solidarity.
The Inter-Union Protest and Strike Committee of the Silesian-Dąbrowa Region was first established in 2012, and a year later it organized a general strike in which 85,000 people participated. employees from approximately 400 workplaces. The committee's activities were resumed once again in January 2015, and then in September 2020. Currently, its members include: Solidarity, OPZZ, Trade Union Forum and August 80.
