They announce protests and fight for industry in Silesia. Trade unionists reactivated the protest and strike committee

Representatives of trade union headquarters from the province Silesia reactivated the Inter-Union Protest and Strike Committee (MKPS). When announcing protests, they demand talks with the government regarding mining, metallurgy and the automotive industry. In their opinion, the situation of industry in Silesia is dramatic.

Piotr Nowak, vice-chairman of the Silesian-Dąbrowa Solidarity movement, said during Monday's press conference that the decision to resume MKPS operations is motivated by the situation of the industry in the region. He added that recent talks with government representatives, including on social protection, solutions for the steel industry or jobs, have not brought any results, and trade unionists feel ignored by government representatives.

– There will be a demonstration here in Silesia in the first week of November – Nowak announced. The trade unions have not announced any further steps yet.

– It turned out that dialogue does not exist, it is unfashionable, the government does not pay any attention to peaceful demonstrations (…). We will protest together, because individual protests do not make any impression on the government, hence the reactivation and resumption of MKPS – said the head of OPZZ in the region, Wacław Czerkawski. – We will take actions that will force the government to make specific talks and specific decisions – he added.

Marek Mnich from the Trade Union Forum argued that the social side had repeatedly turned to government representatives, wanting to highlight the region's problems. Jerzy Demski from the Trade Union of Mining Workers said that despite the social agreement signed years ago, many issues related to mining have still not been resolved, and at the same time, problems in other industries are growing. – The automotive industry will soon collapse, Polish steelworks will collapse (…). There were supposed to be jobs for young people here, for this region, there is simply nothing, the desert remains – said Demski.

The head of mining Solidarity, Bogusław Hutek, expressed hope that the activities initiated in Silesia “will spread to the entire country.” In his opinion, the situation is very difficult and the promised jobs have not been created in the region. – We remember the previous government's grandiose announcements about Izer, but there is no trace of it. We want to eliminate 300-400 thousand. jobs in Silesia, but we are not building anything, said Hutek.

The head of the National Metallurgy Section of NSZZ “S”, Andrzej Karol, said that his industry has been experiencing difficulties for many months, including: due to high energy prices and, more recently, steel imports from Ukraine, which – in his opinion – is spoiling the market and threatening the liquidation of some enterprises. – We are not able to compete with steel, which is not subject to para-taxes like our steel, i.e. we are talking about climate policy and the ETS – said Karol. He expressed his belief that without restrictions on climate policy, the Polish steel industry would not survive.

Patryk Pieczko from Sierpnia 80 expressed satisfaction that trade unionists had united to fight for Polish industry. In his opinion, the situation in the mining, metallurgical and automotive industries is “dramatic”. He confirmed that regardless of the actions of MKPS, August 80 will organize a demonstration in Jastrzębie-Zdrój on Tuesday, due to the very difficult situation of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa. Trade unionists who demand, among others, including JSW employees in a social protection package, they are to block roundabouts and march through the city. – JSW stands on the precipice, no one talks to us (…). If this company goes bankrupt, this city will go bankrupt, argued Pieczko.

– Referring to JSW, the word restructuring is back in fashion, which in Polish means nothing else but liquidation and wage reduction, and we cannot agree to this – Czerkawski emphasized.

MKPS was established in October 2012 by trade unionists from the largest headquarters in the region: NSZZ “Solidarność”, OPZZ, Forum of Trade Unions and WZZ August 80. At the end of 2012, another headquarters, Trade Union Kontra, joined MKPS. At the turn of 2012/2013, MKPS organized strike referenda, and in March 2013, a general strike was carried out throughout the region, in which 85,000 people took part. employees from approximately 400 workplaces. The activities of MKPS were resumed in January 2015, and later in September 2020, after the government's decisions, which, according to trade unionists, affected industry and jobs in the region. (PAP)

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