On Monday, at 6 a.m., some of the miners of Przedsiębiorstwo Górniczy “Silesia”, who were finishing their fourth shift, refused to go to the surface. According to trade unionists, it may be 30-40 people. The action is not a strike. Mining continues.
Trade unionists from various headquarters, who together represent the protesters underground, pointed out that the source of the protest is “the treatment of Silesia employees differently than those employed in coal companies.” — I am thinking here primarily of matters related to the entry into force of the Mining Act. (…) Silesia employees were not covered (…) by protection, said the head of the NSZZ “Solidarność” committee in the Czechowice mine, Grzegorz Babij.
As he emphasized, the protesters demand “that the Minister of Energy, Miłosz Motyka, come to Czechowice-Dziedzice urgently, declaring that – as the trade unionist quoted – “employees of PG Silesia will not be left to their own devices.” He added that the protesters were expecting the minister to arrive and submit specific written declarations as to what this help would consist of.
The trade unionists invited the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, to the mine, which is related to his signing of the mining act a few days ago. The new regulations will enter into force on January 1, 2026. The amendment specifies, among others: conditions of entitlement to mining leaves and holidays for some other employees (with 80% of remuneration calculated as for holiday leave, without the obligation to work) and to one-off severance pay in the amount of PLN 170,000. PLN exempt from personal income tax. The severance pay will cover employees of Polska Grupa Górnicza, Południowy Koncern Węglowy, Węglokoks Kraj, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa and, in the future, Bogdanka. This does not apply to Silesia.
Minister in the Chancellery of the President, Karol Rabenda – informing on December 15 on website “We cannot create a situation where employees of one industry will be treated differently in Poland,” he noted.
The protesters also demand payment of the St. Mary's Day benefit declared by the owner of the mine, the Bumech Group. They want a written declaration that no consequences will be brought against the participants of the action.
The leaders of the unions operating at the mine – Solidarity, Kadra and the Miners' Trade Union – emphasized that the protest is a grass-roots initiative. — The protest is caused by the government's mistreatment of us, workers, he added. As he said, miners from Silesia were not covered by the protections introduced by the amendment to the Act on the Operation of Stone Mining. The layoffs announced by the owner and the threat of closing the mine were also important.
Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka, referring to this matter in a post on the X platform, emphasized that PG Silesia is a private company and the government is not indifferent to its situation or to the concerns of its employees.
He added that together with the deputy minister of energy, Marian Zmarzły, who will meet with the chairman of the unions, he is analyzing possible forms of support for the plant's employees. “In such enterprises, the decision on support must be based on applicable regulations – specifically the Restructuring Law. The company is currently in restructuring proceedings, and the law does not allow in such a situation to provide public aid to companies from the mining sector. This is a formal block, not a government decision,” wrote Motyka.
Grzegorz Babij from Solidarity, commenting on these words, said that people at the bottom were not interested in what he wrote on the X. – The demand is for Minister Motyka to come and (…) make a declaration of help – he said.
In his entry, Miłosz Motyka expressed understanding for the crew's anxiety and assured that possible actions are being analysed. “An application to discontinue the restructuring proceedings has already been submitted, and after its consideration, we can move on to the next steps. The state must manage public aid responsibly, especially if it means assistance to private entities. However, this responsibility does not mean indifference – that is why we are working on solutions that can help employees of PG Silesia,” he emphasized.
Trade unionists believe that the discontinuation of the restructuring proceedings means the mine's collapse.
The head of the Kadra Trade Union, Tomasz Szpyrka, said that the protesters are determined and will carry out the action until it succeeds. He assured them that they were in a safe place. Water is provided to them.
The PAP journalist failed to contact representatives of the Bumech Group, the owner of Silesia.
Przedsiębiorstwo Górnicze Silesia in Czechowice-Dziedzice is 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. At the end of November, the manager of the Silesia sanation estate notified the local unions of its intention to make collective redundancies. They would apply to over 750 people working in Silesia.
