Six months have passed since the high-profile underground protest by miners at PG Silesia. Some of the employees who spent Christmas underground in protest have since been dismissed. Grzegorz Babij, Chairman of the Inter-Company Branch Organization of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union Solidarity (NSZZ “Solidarność”) at PG Silesia in Czechowice-Dziedzice, has appealed to the media.
“Today, the people who fought for others have been left without any means of making a living…” wrote Babij, who himself has also been handed a notice of termination.
Krystyna and Eugeniusz Paszek were among the first employees to lose their jobs at PG Silesia. Eugeniusz had worked at the mine for nearly 40 years, while Krystyna had spent 11 years there. He operated a crane used for unloading goods, while she worked in the coal processing plant.
“My husband had only one year left before retirement, and I had three. He finished work one day, was asked to come to the office, and was handed his dismissal notice. I received mine the following day. I had been at a medical appointment because I underwent spinal surgery in October. When I came home, a courier delivered my termination documents. They left us without a penny. The court later proposed negotiations, but we refused. This is about our dignity. We know we won’t be reinstated. We are deeply hurt by the way we were treated. And not just us – I also feel sorry for the young men who were dismissed,” Krystyna Paszek told Niezalezna.
Eugeniusz Paszek pointed out that “Normally, you cannot dismiss an employee who is within one year of retirement. However, if a company is undergoing restructuring, as PG Silesia is, that protection no longer applies. The same applies to Mr. Babij. Trade union leaders are normally protected, but not when the company is under restructuring.”
“We Are Dealing with Fraudsters”
Grzegorz Babij, Chairman of the Inter-Company Branch Organization of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union Solidarity (NSZZ “Solidarność”) at PG Silesia, said:
“The situation of the workers dismissed in February and May – nearly 120 people – is extremely difficult. They have not received their final salaries, severance pay, compensation, or overdue benefits. On the employer’s side, we are dealing with fraudsters, and I take full responsibility for those words. The owner of PG Silesia deceived the workers by breaking its promises and violating the agreement signed on December 29 last year. According to that agreement, no employees were supposed to lose their jobs because the entire workforce was to be transferred from PG Silesia to Bumech. Those who took part in the underground protest were also promised they would not face retaliation. Instead, almost all of the protesters – around 20 people – were dismissed. The cases are now before the courts, but hearings have not even been scheduled. The delays in these proceedings are pushing these people into even greater poverty. There are no jobs. I heard the employer claim in the media that there were plenty of job offers and that these workers would easily find new employment. They have not. These are people in poor health, worn out by years of working in the mine, and there are no suitable job opportunities for them. We are disappointed with state institutions that are supposed to defend workers. Perhaps they are trying, but they are not holding anyone accountable when labour laws are violated.”
“The Mine Is Being Managed Terribly”
Babij added:
“The mine is being managed terribly. Bumech, the owner of the Silesia mine, brought it to the brink of collapse. It has now leased the operation and is trying to prepare a new coal face, but progress has been painfully slow. That mining face was supposed to start operating in November last year. It is now July of the following year, and nothing has changed. During the underground protest, and later while negotiating the December 29 agreement, employees appealed to Donald Tusk’s government to allow miners from privately owned mines to retire under the same conditions as employees of state-owned mining companies, including access to protective schemes, mining leave, and transfers to other mines such as the Polish Mining Group (PGG). Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka, who attended the signing of the agreement, pledged that the relevant legislation would be ready by February 28 this year. It is still only at the public consultation stage. I have read the draft. Those who fought for others during the underground protest, putting themselves at risk and then being brutally dismissed in a manner resembling Russian or Belarusian standards, will not be covered by the legislation. As trade unions, we issued a negative opinion on the bill. The draft was prepared by the Ministry of Energy.”
“The Mine Is Bankrupt”
Babij continued:
“This was a deliberate strategy. First, the company was placed into restructuring proceedings. For example, after the workers’ protest outside the mine in February this year, owner Mr. Sutkowski publicly declared that the mine was bankrupt. Yet that did not stop him from applying to the Ministry of Climate and Environment for a lease of the mine. Bumech received that approval. Why was this done? To leave all the debts inside PG Silesia while transferring all valuable assets to Bumech – including real estate worth millions of zlotys. And those in power are simply watching it happen.”
“Our Goal Is to Preserve Around 1,000 Jobs”
In a statement sent to Niezalezna, Jonasz Drabek, CEO of Bumech S.A., said:
“Bumech is consistently implementing the provisions of the December 29, 2025 agreement, the lease agreement covering the organized part of PG Silesia’s enterprise, and all applicable legal regulations. Our objective has been to preserve around 1,000 jobs and provide decent, well-paid employment.”
He added:
“The transfer of the mining licence from PG Silesia to Bumech was one of the two key conditions for the lease agreement to enter into force. Without it, mining operations could not legally continue. The stable operation of the leased enterprise depends on maintaining coal production. The transfer of the licence was an administrative decision and has nothing to do with employment or social issues. The company is making intensive efforts to launch a new mining face as quickly as possible. This process is already at a very advanced stage, and we expect production to begin within the next few days. Coal sales from the new mining face will enable the operation to continue and help preserve jobs in Czechowice. Given the local labour market and the recently announced mass layoffs at other major employers in the area, maintaining these jobs is especially important.”
“This Was Agreed at the Negotiating Table”
The Ministry of Energy’s Communications Department, in an unsigned statement sent to Niezalezna, said that, in accordance with the December 29, 2025 agreement, the government had fulfilled its obligations by preparing the necessary legislative amendments concerning the Silesia Coal Mine on time, including placing the draft on the Council of Ministers’ legislative agenda and submitting it for further proceedings.
The statement added:
“The amendment introduces protective measures for employees affected by the bankruptcy of mining companies, including employment reallocation mechanisms and financial support for workers directly involved in coal extraction and processing. In other words, these are the very solutions that were agreed at the negotiating table.”