Labor unrest at Huta Sendzimira as company announces 3,000 layoffs

State-owned steel mill Huta Sendzimira (HTS) has announced that due to its restructuring process 3,000 employees will lose their jobs by the end of 2002. The country's second largest steel producing facility currently employs over 9,000 people. The resident labor union has already proclaimed its readiness to strike. Edward Nowak, deputy head at HTS, argues that if the company fails to implement its repair strategies, net losses will reach zl. 430 million this year. In order for the plant to continue its rest ructuring program, the company needs support from Towarzystwo Finansowe Silesia (TFS), a financing association which supports mills. "We have problems covering payments for deliveries and services, but receiving a loan from a company in the steel sector is impossible. That's why we are hoping for aid from the association, at least during February and March," says Nowak. The State Treasury will be the one to decide whether the company can receive financial aid from TFS. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) A.K.