The draft amendment to the Act on the Operation of the Hard Coal Mining Industry, which has been in progress since January this year, has already been submitted to the government.
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Liquidation of coal mines in Poland. What does the bill contain?
It assumes, among others: enabling the financing of benefits for employees of liquidated mining plants, as well as introducing a mechanism in which the liquidation of mines will be carried out directly by mining entrepreneursand not – as before – by Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń.
In the latest version of the project Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka submitted a self-amendment, justified by the “difficult financial situation in the coking coal mining sector in Poland, including in JSW”. As he emphasized in a letter to the Council of Ministers, the definition of “support system” has been changed to also cover companies in the restructuring process, not only liquidation.
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According to the project, employees of JSW mining plants will be able to benefit from the same protective benefits as those employed in companies PGG, PKW and Węglokoks Kraj. This means the right to mining and processing holidays with 80 percent remuneration or one-off severance pay in the amount of PLN 170,000 PLN net.
— The goal is not to liquidate JSW's mines, but to restructure them, including a gradual reduction in employment, noted Minister Motyka.
The amendment also assumes the possibility free transfer between mining companies mines or parts thereof for the purpose of restructuring or liquidation. The so-called “cut-off date”, which also allows you to be covered by the support system JSW and Bogdankathat have not been covered so far.
Costs of carrying out the mine closure program
According to the latest Regulatory Impact Assessment, the cost of the program over 10 years will amount to a total of PLN 11.275 billion, of which PLN 10.58 billion will be charged to the state budget, PLN 183 million to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, and PLN 604 million to the lost income of state institutions.
For comparison, the previous version of the project (without JSW) estimated the total cost at PLN 9.125 billion. Even earlier calculations, from before April, amounted to PLN 4.182 billion.
Minister of State Assets Wojciech Balczun announced on Tuesday on Polish Radio RDC that adding JSW and Bogdanka to the protection act alone means almost PLN 500 million in budget expenses next year. — The entire five-year protective program for JSW, which aims to reduce employment as part of restructuring activities, will cost approximately PLN 2.9 billion. – he added.
According to estimates, Over 3,000 people will benefit from mining leave at JSW. employees, and about 100 people on leave for mechanical processing workers. The group currently employs over 32,000. people, of which over 21 thousand in Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa itself.
