The manager of the Silesia mine warns against collective layoffs

Are Silesia mine employees at risk of collective layoffs? The manager of PG Silesia sent a letter to the government, trade unions and the company's owner about the bad situation of the mine and the probable reduction of employment by several hundred people, informs Solidarity from the Beskid region. Despite the court's positive decision regarding the lease of the company by Bumech, the mining license has still not been transferred, which is intended to prevent the completion of the process and the miners' transfer to a new employer.

Several hundred employees of PG Silesia may lose their jobs

The agreement concluded on December 29, 2025 between the court administrator of PG Silesia, the trade union party, the government party represented by the Minister of Energy and the mine owner – Bumech, provided that the Silesia mine would be leased to Bumech, and the miners would retain their jobs. According to reports from Solidarity near Beskids, the mine manager sent a letter to the signatories of the document and the Ministry of Climate, in which he informed about the critical financial situation of Silesia and the lack of funds to continue mining activities. There are many indications that it will happen this week mining operations at the plant may be stopped and mass layoffs may be carried outwhich would cover up to several hundred people.

The cause of the impasse is the prolonged proceedings regarding the transfer of the license to Bumech. Despite the consent of the District Court in Katowice to conclude the mine lease agreement of February 2026, the Ministry of Climate and Environment has still not made a key decision, which makes the implementation of the December agreement impossible. According to information from the Kadra trade union at PG Silesia, the time for transferring the concession expired on March 2, and this fact was one of the conditions for the entry into force of the lease agreement and regulating the situation of the mine and its employees.

The uncertain future of Silesia's miners

In a letter to the signatories of the agreement the manager of PG Silesia asks for information regarding “possible start date of employee allocation”which is dictated by concern for their interests and continuity of employment. The December document declared that in the event of liquidation or bankruptcy of the mine, the miners would be transferred to other plants, and Bumech reserved the right to withdraw from the lease agreement if the concession was not transferred.

Trade unionists from Solidarity near Beskids call the actions of the manager of the Silesia mine hypocrisy, and the chairman of the union at the plant, Grzegorz Babij, writes about cheating employees and blackmailing the signatories of the agreement. Trade unionists unanimously call for respect for the December arrangements and for a dialogue that will not be one-sided.

Conflict between trade unionists and the mine owner

Tension and conflicts around the Silesia mine have been growing since January 2026, when miners reported receiving notices of termination despite an agreement with the manager and owner. A strike emergency was announced at PG Silesia, and trade unionists openly talked about intimidating employees, but the mine owner – Bumech – explained everything by the lack of consent of trade unions at the plant to change employment conditions. In mid-February, Bumech, in a letter to the chairman of the national Solidarity trade union, raised alarm about the registration by Solidarity of a company that was to take over the operations of Silesia, which trade unionists explained as an attempt to save the mine.

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