2026-02-10 18:55
publication
2026-02-10 18:55
The Silesia mine can operate for another three years, and then it must undergo reindustrialization, Marcin Sutkowski, the main shareholder of Bumech, which owns the Czechowice-based Przedsiębiorstwo Górnicze Silesia, told PAP. Bumech plans, among other things, to create a defense factory here.
Sutkowski said that the Silesia mine “is bankrupt” because “it has not been extracting the appropriate amount of coal for several months and is only covering 50-60 percent of its costs.” He added that there was no more coal in stock; everything has been sold.
The main shareholder of Bumech said that there was no future for the mine; the coal era is ending. The company wants to lease Silesia to “finish it nicely within three years.” – Bumech's plan is to finish easily available resources and terminate the mine's operations within three years, but at the same time prepare an intensive reindustrialization program, he said. He added that the company has plans to create energy storage, geothermal plants and a factory in the defense industry.
On Tuesday, trade unionists from Solidarity picketed in front of Silesia. They protested against the layoffs. The chairman of the union at the company, Grzegorz Babij, said that about 40 employees had received notice of termination. In his opinion, this violated the agreement that the social partners, the government and the employer signed on December 29 last year. It ended the eight-day underground protest. Babij pointed out that some of those laid off lose their jobs with a few months left before retirement. Protesters underground are also being released.
The owner of the Silesia mine reveals the behind-the-scenes of talks with trade unions. Solidarność writes about the escalation of tension
Talks on the situation in the Silesia mine, which took place on February 4 this year. took place in Katowice, they did not bring any results. Trade unionists from Solidarity are writing about the escalation of tension, calling for compliance with the agreement, meanwhile the Bumech company, the owner of the plant, in explanations sent to Bankier.pl, sheds new light on the negotiations with the unions that have been conducted over the last two months.
The head of Solidarity in the Podbeskidzie region, Marek Bogusz, accused the owners of PG Silesia of not intending to develop the mine, but “to pull out the last wall that is there and earn the last money.” – There will be no mining here – he said and added that the mine's resources allow for several dozen years of mining. He pointed out that in this situation the government should not grant a license to exploit the deposit. However, the mine could be run by the social side. – We'll run it; We can do it, he announced.
Vice-chairman of NSZZ Solidarność, Grzegorz Adamowicz, announced that a meeting of the union's national committee will be held on February 12 at the Presidential Palace, and one of the topics will be the situation in Silesia. – You can be sure that we will not leave you alone – he declared.
Sutkowski: NI won't let trade unionists destroy companies
Marcin Sutkowski said in an interview with PAP that he “will not allow trade unionists to destroy the company.” – If the gentlemen from Solidarity do not like working in this company, and we do not like these gentlemen, the easiest thing for both parties is to part ways, he said. He also added that 40 people out of 1.1 thousand were dismissed. crew.
Referring to allegations of terminating contracts just before retirement, he replied that it was not Bumech who fired him, but the court administrator. He also added that there is no unemployment in Silesia and there are job placement institutions. – Businesses are not there to take care of you (…) NSZZ Solidarność, but for doing business – he said. He noted that union actions, such as emergency strikes (Solidarity announced them in PG Silesia – PAP), are illegal and result in a decline in work discipline and efficiency.
PG Silesia is the largest private coal mine in Poland
PG Silesia in Czechowice-Dziedzice mines in the largest private coal mine in Poland. Its share in the Polish market in 2022 was approximately 3%. in the production of thermal coal and 2.3 percent in total hard coal production. In mid-2025, Bumech submitted a company restructuring plan on behalf of PG Silesia.
At the end of last year, the crew learned about planned layoffs. This led to an underground protest in which approximately 20 miners participated. Mining has not been stopped. On December 29, trade unionists, the employer and the government concluded an agreement.
Last Thursday, Bumech announced, among other things, that the December agreement specified the company's obligations, in particular maintaining the lease offer (a three-year conditional agreement was signed last week – PAP) of the organized part of the PG Silesia enterprise, preparing the takeover process and continuing the employment of employees. “The lease of an organized part of the enterprise covers those assets and resources that enable independent conduct of coal mining and processing activities, and is not the same as leasing the entire enterprise,” the company emphasized in the information.
The situation is difficult, even bankruptcy is on the horizon
Sutkowski noted on Tuesday that if the lease is not concluded, Silesia will go bankrupt.
Bumech emphasized that the social side was informed about the intention to continue employment of PG Silesia employees without interruption and on unchanged terms within the taken over organized part of the plant. He also noted that one of the original conditions for concluding the lease agreement for the organized part of PG Silesia was to regulate the principles of remuneration between the company's court administrator and the social side. Talks in this regard did not lead to a change in the company's collective labor agreement because one of the trade union organizations considered the proposals presented to be unacceptable, according to Bumech.
As a result, Bumech re-analyzed the structure of the organized part of the plant and decided to operate it in a system of three production shifts instead of four, guided by the need to maintain the economic rationality of the project.
Bumech recalled that the December agreement also provided for the government to take legislative action to enable, in the event of bankruptcy of the company mining in the Silesia mine, the allocation and protective benefits to employees working underground and in the Silesia processing plant, provided that the conditions of the Mining Act in force as of January 1, 2026 are met. The government declaration included a deadline until the end of February. (PAP)
szf/ mtb/ mmu/
