In 2025, PKP Cargo will lay off 500 employees as part of group layoffs. The management board, supervisory board, and the administrator of the company’s restructuring estate have given their approval. Employment contracts will be terminated by the end of September.
“The Management Board, the Supervisory Board, and the Administrator of the Restructuring Estate of PKP Cargo in restructuring have adopted a resolution granting consent to carry out group layoffs planned for 2025. This process is driven by the company’s ongoing difficult financial situation and a decline in transport volumes, which translates into reduced demand for labor,” the company announced in a Thursday statement.
According to the statement, up to 500 employees will be affected this year. The company emphasized that this number is lower than the initially planned 1,041 layoffs.
“The reduction in the number of employees covered by the group layoffs stems from arrangements made during earlier consultations with trade unions, as well as the inclusion of employee departures that occurred since the Management Board announced its intention to carry out layoffs, along with those planned in the coming months. The process of terminating employment contracts is scheduled to be completed by the end of September 2025, taking effect at the end of October 2025,” the statement read.
PKP Cargo explained that this year’s group layoffs are part of “the assumptions of the Restructuring Plan, which aims to stabilize the company’s financial liquidity, repay liabilities, and increase operational efficiency.” The statement clarified that the alternative to layoffs would have been “terminating the Collective Labor Agreement as of October 31, 2025,” which would have generated similar savings to group layoffs.
What Will Employees Be Left With?
“The company plans that, alongside the process of terminating employment contracts, support measures will be introduced to help employees find new jobs, including training, assistance in preparing CVs and getting ready for recruitment processes, and facilitating job opportunities based on PKP Cargo S.A.’s restructuring partnerships with other railway companies,” the statement said.
It recalled that this model was applied during the layoffs carried out in 2024, which helped nearly 500 dismissed employees find new employers.
“PKP Cargo S.A. in restructuring notes that at this time, the intention to carry out group layoffs in 2026 has not been confirmed. It will require a reassessment of the level of current and planned transport operations as well as the company’s financial situation after the 2025 fiscal year,” the statement read.
As fact.pl reminds, during last year’s group layoffs, PKP Cargo S.A.’s workforce decreased by 3,665 employees. Out of that number, 2,515 people had their contracts terminated, while 1,150 left the company for other reasons.