Employees of the Inowrocław Salt Mines “Solino” continued the hunger strike they began three weeks ago on Easter Sunday. The participants of the protest are demanding decisions that would ensure the future operation of the salt and soda complex in the Kuyavia region.
More protesters are being hospitalized. The hunger strike at Solino continues
The chairman of the Company Commission of NSZZ “Solidarity,” Jerzy Gawęda, said that four workers are currently on hunger strike. They replaced colleagues who had taken part in the earlier phase of the protest but had to withdraw due to deteriorating health.
So far, 11 people have had to withdraw from the protest for health reasons, and some of them spent several days in hospital. Currently, one of the participants remains hospitalized after being transported there on Saturday. Gawęda was also hospitalized after two weeks of hunger strike, but was discharged after a few days and is now accompanying the protesters.
The hunger strike at IKS was announced by the Company Commission of NSZZ “Solidarity” on March 15. Trade unionists sent a letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka, appealing for urgent action and a meeting.
Their demands include: the state taking control over strategic assets related to the production of soda and salt, as well as storage systems; the preparation of a government program for the energy and salt complex in Kuyavia, including the development of the Łanięta, Lubień, and Damasławek deposits; the construction of a brine evaporation plant; and the establishment of a special-purpose vehicle to implement a national salt storage security program.
On March 26, Deputy Minister of State Assets Grzegorz Wrona responded to the protesters’ demands in the Sejm, answering questions from a group of MPs. He assessed that the actions of the trade unionists “bear solely the hallmarks of a politically motivated initiative.”
The deputy head of the Ministry of State Assets also stated that “under the current ownership strategies, Orlen does not foresee any decisions that would limit Solino’s operations, either in terms of storage facilities or in the area of extraction and salt management.” He added that in 2024-2025, one of the key investments of recent years was completed – the construction of brine pipelines connecting the Mogilno salt mine with the Góra mine, which significantly increases the operational capacity of the cavern system and the efficiency of salt deposit utilization.
The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivode, Michał Sztybel, said in a statement issued a few days ago that, according to the information available to him, no bankruptcy proceedings are being conducted or planned against IKS “Solino.” The company does not anticipate collective layoffs and has investment plans, about which Orlen will provide information directly.